Family Ties
by noscruples
Summary: Sequel to Something Unexpected. Something happens that changes their lives forever. Can Michael & Liz survive or will this event tear them apart? This contains Adult Themes (Sex, Violence, Drug Use). The mob is more realistic than GH. So, be forewarned.
1. Chapter 1 Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm

Liz looked over at Michael sleeping beside her. The last year, despite Carly's machinations, had been really wonderful. She thought back to when they first kissed. Before that, she would have never thought she'd have these feelings but something had stirred her to her core when he first kissed her. Something that made no sense and that was so unexpected ended up to being one of her best relationships. The way he looked at her and touched her still gave her shivers. It hadn't been easy for them by any means. Only a few people supported their relationship at first. But, most came around after they had been together for a while. They were good for each other and they were happy. Liz brought out a maturity in Michael that he didn't have before. He loved the boys and loved their life together. And he bought a sense of lightness and fun to Liz's life that was missing. She took one last glance before she ran to the shower. She had to go in and work for a few hours. Several people had called in sick and Epiphany asked her if she wanted some overtime. She hated leaving him on her day off, but duty called.

Liz got off the elevator and it was pure mayhem. There were injured people everywhere.

"What the hell is going on?" She yelled to Epiphany.

"What do think? Idiots with guns shooting up everybody," She said shaking her head. "Makes no sense."

Elizabeth started assessing who needed to be seen first. She walked past a stretcher and a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Do you know who I am senorita?" He hissed through his teeth clearly in pain.

"No, should I?" Liz said trying to pull her hand away.

"I am Tomas Santi. I need a doctor now!" He yelled.

Epiphany whipped around to see where the yelling was coming from and saw the man grabbing Liz. She marched over there.

"Take your hand off my nurse." She said forcefully.

Tomas looked at her and muttered something in Spanish. He tossed Liz's hand aside.

"I need a doctor now." He said coldly.

Epiphany laughed at him. "You will see a doctor when it's your turn. "

"Excuse me." He said shocked that she would talk to him in that way. "Do you know who I am? He growled.

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm

Liz looked over at Michael sleeping beside her. The last year, despite Carly's machinations, had been really wonderful. She thought back to when they first kissed. Before that, she would have never thought she'd have these feelings but something had stirred her to her core when he first kissed her. Something that made no sense and that was so unexpected ended up to being one of her best relationships. The way he looked at her and touched her still gave her shivers.

It hadn't been easy for them by any means. Only a few people supported their relationship at first. But, most came around after they had been together for a while. They were good for each other and they were happy. Liz brought out a maturity in Michael that he didn't have before. He loved the boys and loved their life together. And he bought a sense of lightness and fun to Liz's life that was missing. She took one last glance before she ran to the shower. She had to go in and work for a few hours. Several people had called in sick and Epiphany asked her if she wanted some overtime. She hated leaving him on her day off, but duty called.

Liz got off the elevator and it was pure mayhem. There were injured people everywhere.

"What the hell is going on?" She yelled to Epiphany.

"What do think? Idiots with guns shooting up everybody," She said shaking her head. "Makes no sense."

Elizabeth started assessing who needed to be seen first. She walked past a stretcher and a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Do you know who I am senorita?" He hissed through his teeth clearly in pain.

"No, should I?" Liz said trying to pull her hand away.

"I am Tomas Santi. I need a doctor now!" He yelled.

Epiphany whipped around to see where the yelling was coming from and saw the man grabbing Liz. She marched over there.

"Take your hand off my nurse." She said forcefully.

Tomas looked at her and muttered something in Spanish. He tossed Liz's hand aside.

"I need a doctor now." He said coldly.

Epiphany laughed at him. "You will see a doctor when it's your turn. "

"Excuse me." He said shocked that she would talk to him in that way. "Do you know who I am? He growled.

Liz rolled her eyes.

"I know who you are Mr. Santi. But, more importantly, do you know who I am?" She said tilting her head with attitude.

He just glared at her.

"Well, let me tell you then." She said quickly. "I am what is standing between you and pain medication. If you continue to man handle my nurses and make demands, I will see that you are the last person seen by a doctor in this waiting room. And by the looks of it, that could be sometime next week." She said smirking. "Do I make myself clear?"

Tomas tried to contain his temper. He could have her whole existence taken out in one swipe. But now, he needed her. He nodded yes.

"Good." She said turning to Liz. "Please check Mr. Santi's wound and assess his condition." Epiphany said walking away.

Liz cut away his clothing to look at the wound in his side. "This might hurt a little." She cleaned his wound as gently as possible. She could see him grimacing. She covered it with a bandage. "I think the bullet went clean through. You're lucky."

She noticed the hole in his pants. She pulled them up and saw there was no exit wound.

She noticed he was staring at her and it made her extremely uncomfortable.

"I don't see an exit wound on this one. So, try to keep your leg still as much as possible okay?" She cut his pants leg above the wound and again said. "This is going to hurt." She winced as he jumped a little. "Sorry." She cleaned the wound the best she could and put a bandage over it. Tomas continued to study her. She was very beautiful.

She went to walk away and he grabbed her again. Liz swung her head to look at him.

"Thank you for being gentle. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Liz was shocked by his niceness. She also knew that if he was in the mob, she didn't want to be on his wrong side. She nodded. "Would you like it better if I pushed you over there?"

He glanced where she was pointing. There was a security guard standing over there and some of the doctors and nurses were using the area to store supplies.

He looked at her curiously. "Why would you suggest that?"

"You just look nervous. If you're over here, by yourself, someone might use that to their advantage." She said averting her eyes.

"That is probably a good idea." He said smiling for the first time. "Thank you."

She nodded and moved him. Her real motivation was that she wouldn't have to come across him again.

Liz went back over to the nurse's station where Epiphany stood.

"How's the patient?" She asked sarcastically.

Liz chuckled. "A little less ornery, but if he starts shooting, I'm pushing you in front of me."

Epiphany laughed. "Not if I don't push you first."

Liz looked around the room. She was glad Michael hadn't chosen that life. If only

Jason could have gotten out before it was too late.

Liz rushed home to Michael. They still have a few hours before she had to go get the kids. She ran into the house calling his name, but no one answered. She had texted him before she left, so she was surprised that he wasn't there. She bounded up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door. There were candles everywhere. A path of rose pedals led from the door to the bathroom. She pushed open the closed door and there he was in the bathtub. There were bubbles everywhere and the room was lit up with candles as well.

"Oh my God," She said squealing. "This is just what I need."

"Get in here before I turn into a prune."

Liz threw off her clothes and got into the warm and soothing tub. She turned so she could lean against him and sunk down into the water. "Feels so good." She said softly closing her eyes. He put his arms around her and held her.

"I could really get use to this." She said dreamily.

"You know I'd do anything to make you happy." He said smiling.

She turned around putting her legs over his. They stared at each other before Michael leaned in and kissed her. "I will never get sick of kissing these lips." He said before diving in for another kiss. He pulled her to him and just as he was about to do everything possible to drive her absolutely crazy with want, they heard the boys downstairs.

"Shit!" Liz jumped up out of the tub and dried off as quickly as possible. She ran into the bedroom to throw some kind of clothes on. She managed to get on some sweatshirt and sweatpants just as Cameron came flying at her and they both fell back on the bed laughing.

"What are you guys doing home?" She asked watching Aiden walk into the room.

"Justin got sick." Aiden said sadly. "So, his mommy drove us home."

"Awww," She said hugging Aiden. "I'm sorry."

Michael came leaping out of the bathroom in some shorts. "I guess this means it's superhero time."

The boys screamed and ran over to him and they fell onto the floor. He rolled around and let them get the best of him.

"Superheroes please help!" Liz yelled from the hallway. "I'm stuck."

"Mommy," Aiden yelled, "We're coming!" But Michael had grabbed them both by the ankles and then lifted them onto the bed.

"She's mine!" He said running towards Liz who pretended to scream.

Michael threw Liz over his shoulder and ran down the steps. The boys ran screaming after them and finally got him near the couch. They rescued their mom and tied up Michael on the couch. He then pretended to cry and they let him go. Liz watched them play with tears welling up in her eyes from laughing. Little did she know that this was the calm before the storm.


	2. Chapter 2 Reality Sucks

Chapter 2: Reality Sucks

Max walked into the warehouse with Sonny's lunch. He was thinking about how cute the new waitress at The Floating Rib was, when the smell of blood and flesh tore through his nostrils almost causing him to wretch. There were bodies strewn everywhere. Some faces he recognized, and some he did not. He dropped the food and pulled out his gun. He took a deep gulp and moved towards the office. There was a body in the doorway. He instinctively flicked a gun away from a body, as he moved along the wall. His adrenaline was pumping so hard that he had started to sweat. He paused and tried to peek inside before barreling into the room. His knees started to give out as he reeled and felt himself start to puke. Sonny was sitting at his desk. His body was riddled with bullets and he was clearly dead. With his chest heaving, Max pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. There was no way he could cover up this kind of carnage. He had to play this one straight.

"Shooting at the coffee warehouse on Front street; Lots of carnage." An officer yelled slamming down the phone.

Anna & Dante were standing at his desk. She looked at Dante's eyes grow big.

"Let's go." She said grabbing some keys. "I'll drive."

Dante swallowed hard and nodded. He hated anything to do with Sonny's business. But, their worlds always managed to intersect quite frequently. He tried to be civil with Sonny, but they never could make their relationship work. Both of their jobs threw in way too many complications.

Dante and Anna ducked under the caution tape and started to survey the scene. The smell was horrific and there was blood everywhere.

Officer Rogan walked up to them.

"Dante, I'm sorry…." Dante stared back at him. He knew that look.

"Where is he?" He said hoarsely.

The officer pointed to the office. Dante tried to find his legs as he walked over to the office in a haze. Anna cleared out the warehouse so Dante could have some privacy.

He looked down at the body in the doorway. It was Alejandro Santi. They had bought him in last week on a weapons charge, but of course his lawyers got him out by the next day. The Santi family was trying to establish some roots in Port Charles. This was going to get even uglier before it got better.

He saw his father. His body looked like someone had used him as target practice. Dante spun around clutching his head and walked back out to the warehouse. Anna watched him bend over, putting his hands on his knees. She could tell he was weeping. She kept her distance to let him get it out. From the corner of her eye she saw someone run into the room. It was Carly.

Carly had been at the Metro Court when she heard the news on the television. She had passed out and luckily one of the clerks had caught her before she hit her head on the wall. Once she had gathered herself, she had insisted that someone take her to the warehouse. She tried to reach Michael but he didn't pick up his phone. As she ran into the building and saw all of the bodies, she knew in her heart it was true. She looked towards the office and saw Dante, bent over. His body was shaking. She felt the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Where is he?" She said softly.

"Carly.." Anna said walking towards her. "You don't want to do this."

Carly stared Anna down. "Where is he?" She screamed.

Dante looked up at Carly. "If you go in there, it will haunt you forever."

Carly started shaking and crying. "I have to see him to prove that he is gone."

Dante walked up to her and hugged her. He really didn't want her to go in there and look, but he understood her none the less. She pulled out of their embrace and walked towards the office. When he finally came into her view, she let out a blood curdling scream and passed out. Officers ran from outside and they ended up having the ambulance take her to the hospital.

"Dante, why don't you go find Michael." Anna suggested. "He shouldn't find out from watching the news."

Dante nodded and headed towards Michael's apartment. But, Michael wasn't there. He was with Liz.

Michael turned on the television and plopped down on the couch. Liz had dropped the kids off at a play date and was on her way back.

_Breaking News: A gun battle took place this morning that has left Port Charles in shock. Mob Boss Sonny Corinthos was taken down in a hail of bullets by the rival Santi organization….._

The rest of the reporter's words were drowned out by the grief and confusion that overtook Michael's body. He couldn't even move. He stared at the television as tears poured down his face. Liz walked in the door chatting about something the boys did and then plopped down next to him.

"What are you watching?" She said smiling, her eyes fixed on the screen. When he didn't answer she glanced up at him and saw he was crying. "Michael, what's wrong?"

Michael couldn't get his voice to work. He looked at her and then crashed into her body. The force of his sudden movement sent her falling backwards as she hugged him and tried to get him to talk. But, he just sobbed. Liz was terrified. The doorbell rang and she somehow disentangled herself from his body and ran to the door.

"Dante," She said seeing him standing there with bloodshot eyes. "What is going on?"

"Is Michael here?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, I came home and I found him on the couch. He hasn't been able to tell me why he's so upset." She said, her eyes pleading for some answers.

Dante could barely look at her let alone tell her. He saw Michael lying on the couch barely moving. He took a deep breath and said. "Sonny is dead."

"What!" She said covering her mouth with her hand.

Suddenly, a guttural sound came from the couch.

"You Liar" Michael yelled out. "He is not dead! Why would you say such a thing Dante?"

Dante could feel the tears falling down his cheeks. He didn't even bother brushing them away.

"I'm sorry Michael." He said shaking his head.

"You're not sorry." Michael said bitterly. "You never loved him. He was never good enough for you."

"Michael. Stop it before you say something you cannot take back." Liz yelled.

Michael stared at her. The pain was eating him alive. She ran to him and held him. She could feel his body start to collapse and directed him to the couch. Dante turned and walked back towards the door. Michael was right about him never allowing himself to really love Sonny. But, he was wrong about him being sorry.

"Your mother had to be taken to the hospital. She collapsed at the warehouse." He said before shutting the door behind him. He walked back to his car and sat there crying for a few minutes. He hit the steering wheel with hands before throwing the car into drive. "Damn you Sonny."

Liz drove Michael to the hospital. Neither one of them spoke. Michael just stared out the window. They made their way up to the ER and Liz left him in the waiting room so she could go find out where Carly was. She was directed to exam room 3.

She walked up and went inside and at that moment Carly's eyes fluttered open.

"Michael." She said hoarsely.

Liz walked up to the bed. "He's in the waiting room."

Tears started to fall down Carly's cheeks. "Is he okay?"

"No. But, he's doing the best he can."

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked quietly. Liz nodded yes.

"They are about to let me go. Can you guys give me a ride? Joss's nanny is going to meet us there." All Carly wanted was to hold her and know that she was safe.

"Of course, let me go get Michael." She said walking out of the room.

She walked over to him. He was just sitting there staring.

"She's fine, but she wants to see you."

They somberly walked into her room. Michael really didn't want to speak to his mom. It was just more emotion than he had to give right now, but he knew she needed him.

"Michael." Carly said embracing him. "I'm so sorry."

Michael held her as he felt the sobs wracking her body. But, it was like he was in a trance. There were no more tears just the reality that his father was gone and life would never be the same.


	3. Chapter 3 My Heart Cries

**A/N: I took some liberties and Johnny is not in jail. I ignored that whole mess. Johnny was working for Sonny because he didn't like the Santi organization.**

Chapter 3 + My Heart Cries

Sonny's organization was a mess. Shawn and Johnny Z had stepped up to take over temporarily to try to establish some calm until Sonny's will was read and a new boss was named. The Santi's were relentless. It had been a week since Sonny had died and the funeral was the next morning. They scrambled to call some kind of truce so both sides could bury their dead. At the last minute, they were able to secure one much to everyone's relief.

The week had been a blur for Carly. She had to get Morgan on a plane. There were so many arrangements to be made. She did the best she could to include everyone who cared about Sonny (even if she didn't like them). She sat in her office trying to figure out how she was going to say goodbye. She couldn't believe that both Sonny & Jason were gone.

She heard a soft knock on the door and saw the petite brunette come through the door.

"Brenda."

Brenda looked back at Carly and studied her.

"You look like hell." Brenda said walking towards her.

Carly half laughed and half cried. It was a little awkward. Brenda hated this woman and the feeling was mutual, but they both had lost someone that would be buried with a big piece of their hearts.

Carly struggled to regain her composure. "How was your flight?"

"Long and dreadful." Brenda said brimming with tears. "I can't believe he's gone."

"I know. " Carly said no longer able to fight the onslaught of tears.

"Alright, retreat to your corners, I'm coming in." A voice called out from the hallway.

"Jax," Carly yelled and went rushing into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought you might need some support as well as the kids. So, I hopped a ride with Brenda."

"Well, thank you for coming. The kids will appreciate it. If you want to stop by and see Joss later, you're more than welcome." She said wiping away tears. "After the memorial tonight, everyone is welcome back to the restaurant for some food."

"Thanks." He said squeezing her arm. "We're going to go get settled in. See you tonight."

She watched them both walk out the door. This was going to be a long night.

Michael tried to take a nap before the memorial service. Every time he shuts his eyes, he keeps having this repeating nightmare. It was the whole shooting playing over and over in his mind. He walks into the warehouse and all hell breaks loose. He dives behind some crates as bullets fly around him as well as the cries and screams of agony every time someone gets hit. He moves around where he has a direct view of the office. His father is firing from behind the desk and takes out a person in the doorway. As he goes to put a new clip, he is struck by the first bullet. He looks down at it like it was lint on his jacket. He gets the clip back in and shoots bullet after bullet until he feels something hit him. His chair actually propels backwards from the force. Sonny is now stunned. Michael can see his fear. He holds his gun up and then suddenly a hail of gunfire rains down upon him. He watches his father's body recoil from each bullet. He sees the realization in his father's eyes that he was going to die and the fear causes Michael to jolt up in his bed sweating profusely.

Liz barely reacts to it anymore. She knows what he dreamed and she is powerless to do anything about it. Michael gets off the bed and goes to take a shower. He stands underneath of the shower jet and lets the water engulf his body. Besides being devastated at losing his father, the only other thing on Michael's mind is Sonny's business. He had been working at ELQ for the last year with AJ. And while he enjoyed getting to know his father, he only was there because he felt AJ needed him. Michael had never made it a secret that someday he wanted to work for Sonny. But he knew that if he made that choice now, he might lose everything that is important to him. Michael had the same need that AJ had to run ELQ. He felt like he had something to prove to everyone. He was no longer a child. He had no qualms about doing what it took to run the organization. He had learned from the best. They just didn't realize he was taking notes.

Everyone gathered at the funeral home for the memorial/viewing. Michael walked up to casket and looked at his father. He seemed so small lying there. He turned and took his seat with Liz sitting next to him. There was so much security lining the entire block that the Santi's would have to parachute from the sky to get to them. The service started and his mom, seated on his other side, took his hand. One after another people came up to talk about Sonny and what he meant to them. Michael jerked up as he heard a voice he hadn't heard for a long time echo around his head.

Ric Lansing had come back to Port Charles for Sonny's funeral. His main motive was to worm his way back into the business. Michael took one look at him and knew why Ric was there. Michael wasn't sure how he was going to deal with him, but, he knew one thing, there was no way in hell that Ric was going to be running Sonny's business.

After Ric sat down, Sonny's father came up and spoke. And finally Carly got up there.

"All of you know that Sonny and I had a rather tumultuous relationship." She said smiling through her tears. "But, he was a great love of my life. He was a good father to our children whom he loved dearly. We may not have always gotten along, but we were there for each other when we needed to be; when it counted." She paused and took a deep breath. "No matter what, I will miss Sonny; his dimples, and his loyalty to his family." She looked over at the casket. "Goodbye Sonny, I love you." She said crying.

Michael knew he was next. He wiped his hands on his pants nervously and walked up to the podium. He passed his mother on the way there and gave her a much needed hug and kiss.

He blew out some air and began to talk. "My father was a great man. He may have made mistakes, but he paid for them dearly. I can't even express how much I miss him right now. I ache." He said with his eyes welling up with tears. "But, I know he'll always be with me and my family. They may have taken his body, but they can never take his spirit. They can never take our memories." He said angrily. He paused for a moment to calm down. "I'm proud to be Michael Corinthos III. I'm proud to be the son of a man who loved hard, lived hard, and fiercely tried to protect his family. And I know that in the near future, he will be really proud of me too. I love you dad. I will make you proud."

Dante stared at Michael. He found himself drowning within the undertones of Michael's speech. He was hoping he was wrong, but only time would tell.

AJ stared up at his son with tears in his eyes. He could tell he was losing Michael once again to Sonny. Michael's demeanor was even changing. He just didn't know how long it would take for the transformation to take place. He was scared for Michael. But, there was no way he was going to confront him today of all days.

Dante walked up to the podium. He struggled to speak and looked down at Michael staring at him intensely. He cleared his throat, and began. "When I found out Sonny was my father, suffice it to say, things didn't go very well. But along the way we came to an understanding, and I do believe he loved me. And even though we didn't see eye to eye and our career choices drew a line in the sand, there was always part of me that wanted to just let go and stop punishing him by allowing him to be a father to me. I'm sorry that I didn't find a way to do that. I cared for Sonny deeply. I loved him as much as I could allow myself too." Dante looked over at the casket. "I'm sorry dad. Rest in peace." He said with tears flowing down his face.

He turned and looked at Michael who managed to give him a pained grin and nod and walked back to his seat.

Brenda stood up and fidgeted nervously behind the podium. She blew out a deep breath as tears streamed down her face.

Carly looked down. There was no way she could look up at her.

"Um, as you all know, Sonny was the love of my life. It's probably my greatest failure that I couldn't make things work with him. But, in the end love just wasn't enough." She said clutching the podium, hoping it would give her the strength to continue. "Sonny loved his family. He did everything he could to protect them. I just wish we all could have protected him from this." She said glancing over at the coffin. "Rest in peace baby. I love you." She said walking unsteadily back to her seat.

The director was about to come to the front when the doors flung open. Everyone looked up.

It was Kristina. She was in Europe when it happened. When they had finally hunted her down, it was so close to the funeral, they didn't think she would make it.

She rushed down the aisle and looked at her father. The reality of it all came crashing down on her. She swayed from the weight of it and Michael had to jump up and steady her.

"You don't have to do this." He whispered.

"Yes, I do." She managed to get out.

He helped her up to the front.

"Sorry, I'm late. I don't even know where to begin." She said pausing to collect her thoughts. "God knows, that my father and I haven't always seen things eye to eye." She said smiling through tears. "Let's face it, I was a handful. But, I know that he loved me very much. And I loved him with every ounce of my being. No matter what, he always had my back. He always wanted what was best for me." She stopped, only pausing to hit the podium. "I just can't believe he's gone." She yelled out in so much emotional pain she could hardly see straight. She looked at Michael wildly. She felt like she was going to pass out. He swept her into his arms and carried her down the steps. He sat her down next to Alexis who grabbed her and held her tightly.

Carly jumped up and announced that everyone should head to the Metro Court. As she watched everyone walk out, she felt a hand on her back. It was AJ. She studied him for a second. They had come to a truce the last year and weren't really good friends, but they were trying to put the past behind them for Michael's sake.

"Let me give you a ride." He said softly.

She was too tired to argue and nodded. Life sure took some strange twists and turns, she thought to herself.


	4. Chapter 4 Say Uncle

Chapter 4 – Say Uncle

Michael sat on the docks trying to take in everything that had happened. He came to the spot where Jason had died when he had a lot on his mind. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear someone walk up behind him.

"Michael."

Michael spun around quickly. "Ric."

"Long time no see."

"Thankfully" Michael said turning back around.

"Oh don't be that way." Ric said placing his hand on Michael's shoulder.

Michael stood up to face him. "Touch me again and I'll bury you."

"Woah, I see you have your father's temper." Ric said laughing.

Michael punched him in the face and Ric fell on the ground grabbing his jaw.

"Nice." He said trying to shake it off. "You've grown up a lot since the last time I saw you." He said sarcastically.

"Why are you here?"

"You know why I am here." Ric said sneering at Michael. "I'm going to take my piece of the pie."

"You're not getting shit."

"Oooohhh. I see they teach big words in college." He said smirking. "Oh wait, that's right, you're not going to college. How's Burger King working out for you?"

Michael took another step towards Ric who backed up slowly. "I work at ELQ now."

"ELQ." Ric said smiling. "That makes a lot of sense considering they are knee deep in mob money, you'll fit right in." He waited to see a reaction but got none. "I'm sure your bio dad will drag it down just like he did everything else in his life."

Michael clenched his fists. He wanted to rip Ric's head off.

"Settle down there little man." Ric's demeanor quickly changed in intensity. "Don't kid yourself Michael, you don't have the cajones to run this organization." He said pointing his finger into Michael's chest. "You're just a little wanna be."

Michael pushed him backwards and started laughing. "I know why you're so mad, Ric." He said with a hard "k" at the end.

"Really?" Ric said curiously.

"You're pissed because I'm with Elizabeth aren't you?"

Ric looked at Michael like he wanted to kill him.

"You weren't man enough to keep her, so now she's with me." He said laughing. "Unlike you, I've never felt the need to drug her and kidnap other women to prove I'm a man. You know, she never mentions you; must not have left a big impression."

Rick sneered at him. "You sniveling little brat, I can guarantee you that if I ever got thrown in jail, no one would have the balls to try and rape me." Michael came running at him. "You're weak and pathetic." Ric yelled.

Michael tackled Ric and started pummeling him. He put his hands around Ric's throat and squeezed with everything he had. Ric realized Michael wasn't going to stop and struggled to fight against him.

That is when they both heard a scream. Liz had come looking for him.

"Michael. Stop it." She yelled. She tried to get him to stop but it was like he was in a trance.

Michael could hear her but he was so enraged that he couldn't stop himself. No one had ever thrown the rape in his face like that. She saw Ric starting to turn blue and she smacked Michael with all the strength she had.

Michael stopped choking Ric and glared back at Elizabeth. She stepped backwards because the look in his eyes chilled her to the bone. Her heel got caught in the floorboards and she went flying back into the water.

Michael screamed her name and threw off his jacket. He dove into the water. When Liz fell in, she had hit her head on the dock. Carly and AJ went out looking for Michael and came upon the scene. They saw Ric lying on the ground gasping for air.

"Ric. Who did this?" Carly yelled.

Ric managed to blurt out "Elizabeth" as he pointed to the water.

It was at that point that Michael surfaced with Liz's body. AJ ran to the edge and grabbed her from Michael's hands and laid her on the ground.

"Carly, call 911." AJ yelled.

She quickly dialed as Michael struggled to get out of the water. AJ ran to Michael and helped him up and then went back to Elizabeth.

Carly watched Michael. He was could barely look at Liz, but he wasn't crying or anything and that scared her the most. She really wanted to know what Ric had done to make Michael so mad, but she knew that now was not the time. He must be in shock she told herself.

AJ did his best to keep Liz warm until the ambulance showed up. By that time Ric was sitting up.

"I don't know what you said to my son Ric, but you do anything to hurt him again, I will strangle you myself." Carly said walking away. She grabbed Michael to come with her. AJ climbed in the back with Elizabeth.

Everyone converged into the waiting room. Ric and Michael kept their distance but glared at each other every once in a while. Carly finally pulled Michael aside.

"Michael." She said sternly. "Michael look at me now."

Michael tore his eyes off of Ric and looked down at his mother.

"What did Ric do?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Michael said pushing his fingers through his hair. "I can't think about that right now." This was a lie because it's all Michael could think about. Liz was hurt because he lost control. He hadn't had an outburst like that in a long time. He thought he had his anger under control. Right now, he felt like a caged animal. Carly dragged him into the stairwell.

"Michael Corinthos you tell me what that bastard said to you right now." Carly yelled.

Michael's eyes welled up with tears. "I will not cry." He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Everyone in the waiting room looked towards the stairwell. AJ debated on going in there but he decided to give them their space.

"He threw my rape in my face." Michael said in such a scary tone that Carly gasped.

She swallowed and took him in her arms. "Please don't let Ric drive you to such a dark place baby. He is not worth it." Michael hugged her back. "Just let it out Michael, please." She begged.

But Michael couldn't do it. He would get Ric back for this. There was no way he going to let this go.

AJ ran into the stairwell. "Michael, she's awake."

Michael just stood there.

AJ put his hands on Michael's shoulders. "Did you hear me son? She's asking for you."

"I don't know if I can face her."

"I'll come with you." AJ said softly.

Michael nodded and they walked back into the room. Ric could see the look on Michael's face. He knew he had gone too far bringing up the rape, but Liz was always a sore subject with him. He hoped he hadn't ruined everything.

Michael saw her through the window and he almost melted. She looked so pale. AJ gave his shoulder a squeeze and Michael walked into the room and sad down. AJ stayed right outside the room.

"Liz…." He said.

She grabbed his hand. "It's okay baby." She knew it was far from okay, but she saw the suffering in his eyes and it nearly broke her heart.

"Tell me what happened."

He took a deep breath. "Ric showed up at the docks and started taunting me. We went back and forth and I brought up you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, I told him that he was just mad at me because I had you."

"Go ahead."

"And that made him really mad so he threw my rape in my face."

Liz closed her eyes. If she had the strength, she'd probably go choke Ric herself.

"Michael, I'm so sorry but you shouldn't have done what you did. Suppose you had killed him?"

When she got no response, she continued on. "We have a life together. I love you and I don't want to lose you over that idiot. He's not worth it."

Michael nodded and stared at the floor. He hoped she wasn't asking him to put this behind him, because he couldn't.

"When you looked at me right before I fell in, it shattered me." She said crying softly. "It didn't even look like you. I saw nothing there but pure hate. I never thought you'd look at me that way." She said wiping away her tears.

"I'm so sorry baby." He said looking into her eyes. "It's been so long since I felt like that; since getting out of prison probably. The anger just overtook me. I scared myself."

"I feel like I'm losing you Michael. Please tell me I wrong." She said sobbing.

He grabbed her and hugged her gently. "I love you baby. I will never leave you."

He waited for her to calm down and then sat back in the chair. "I need you to rest okay?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt defeated and emotionally drained. How did so much change in one week?


	5. Chapter 5 Room 391

Chapter 5 – Room 391

Michael waited until Liz fell asleep before leaving the room.

"Son, let's go home and get you into some warm clothes." He saw the look Michael gave him and said, "We'll be right back. I promise."

Michael nodded. He did need to go change. He looked at her lying there one more time and then left.

Ric watched AJ & Michael get on the elevator. He needed to see Liz to do some damage control. He walked past her room to make sure no one was in there. He then entered and immediately felt a wave of emotion come over him. She was the one that got away for him. He knew it was his fault she was here. He took at seat and willed her to wake up. When she didn't, he put his hands in his head and looked down at the floor.

Liz woke up and looked over to where Michael had been sitting. But, it wasn't Michael.

"Ric?" She said surprised.

He looked up at her. She still has the most beautiful eyes he's ever seen.

"Elizabeth." He said softly.

Liz swallowed hard. If Michael found him in here, God knows what he'd do.

"Look, if you came in here to get Michael upset."

"Elizabeth, I wouldn't do that. I'm sorry for what I said to Michael." He said nervously running his fingers through his hair. "He just pushed my buttons…..look, I was wrong."

Liz looked into his eyes. She could tell he knew that he had gone too far.

"I just needed to make sure you were okay. I couldn't live with myself if you had died." He said painfully.

"Thank you for coming by Ric. But, you have to go before Michael gets back." She pleaded.

"Too late." Michael said walking through the door.

To Liz's surprise, he didn't do anything but walk to the opposite side of her bed from Ric.

"I better go." Ric said standing to leave. "I know it probably means nothing to you, but I'm really sorry Michael. I completely disrespected you and there were no excuse for bringing that up."

Liz held her breath as Ric turned and walked out of the room. Michael's eyes followed him but he didn't say anything. He came around to the other side of the bed and kissed her gently and sat down.

"Are you okay?" She said softly.

"I'm okay. I wanted you to see that I could handle myself around Ric".

Liz started to laugh through her tears.

"What's so funny?" He said smiling at her laughter.

"Remember that scene in the movie "Scanners" where that guy's head explodes?"

Michael nodded laughing.

"Well, I'm just waiting for the pop." She said giggling.

It was nice seeing him laugh again. They continued laughing for a while and teasing each other. Michael didn't think anyone could make him feel better that day, but Liz managed to peel away the darkness. He didn't think he could love her more if he tried.

Felix came in to give Liz her medicine.

"What's up Merliz." He said giving her a look. "Michael…"

Liz laughed. "I hope those are good drugs." She said taking the cup from his hands.

"I already took out the good ones."

Michael turned and looked at him.

"What? My rent is due."

Michael shook his head and looked back at Liz.

"Felix, I hope you know that I plan to wear this call button out."

"I had it disconnected while you were sleeping." He said dryly.

She flashed him a look.

"What! It was Epiphany's idea. She was mumbling something about you being a diva and who wears heels down to the docks."

Liz spit out her water all over Michael as Felix ran laughing from the room.

"Oh my God Michael, I'm so sorry." She said laughing.

He chuckled and started wiping himself off.

Epiphany came walking into the room.

"Boy, didn't you go home and change?"

The both started laughing again.

"You need to go." She said pointing at Michael. "Liz needs to get some sleep."

Michael wasn't going to mess with Epiphany. If he could convince her to be his enforcer, no one would mess with him. He gave Liz a kiss and reluctantly left the room. He missed her already.

Tomas watched him leave and made a mental note. So, Ms. Webber was Michael's girl. Things just got a little more interesting. What was she doing playing in the kiddie pool when she could be with a man like him? He thought to himself. He waited for Epiphany to leave the room and slipped in with a bouquet of flowers. He held them up in front of his face so Liz couldn't see him at first.

"Surprise." He said moving the flowers quickly.

Liz gasped and then cleared her throat. "Mr. Santi."

"Please, call me Tomas." He said kissing her hand.

Liz's heart started beating a little faster. She couldn't even fathom why he was there. She smiled at him hesitantly.

He ignored her trepidation and continued on. "I heard about your unfortunate accident, and I wanted to check in on you to make sure you were well taken care of." He said, flashing a huge smile.

Liz stared at him for a moment. He was very handsome but he scared the crap out of her.

"Thank you Tomas." She said smiling.

"Are you going to be okay?" He said seriously.

"Yes. I have a concussion."

He smiled and stood up. "That is good to hear." He said taking her hand once more. "I don't want to keep you. You need your rest. Adios, senorita." He said kissing her hand again.

Liz smile back at him and shivered watching him walk out the door. She knew she should probably tell Michael but after watching him today, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. That is when she saw Johnny at the window.

"May I come in?" He said quietly.

'Sure." She knew he had seen Tomas.

"I heard what happened and just wanted to check up on you."

"Thanks Johnny." She said squeezing his hand.

He looked down for a second and then looked at her seriously.

"You mind telling me why Tomas Santi just left your room?"

She looked away from him. Damn, she said to herself.


	6. Chapter 6 - Choices

Chapter 6 + Choices

Liz stared at Johnny for a moment before answering. She really didn't want to start any trouble.

"He was checking up on me." She said looking down.

Johnny shifted watching her closely. "And why would he do that?"

"I took care of him when he was brought to the hospital a few weeks ago. I was nice to him after he was not so nice to me. He later apologized and thanked me." She said looking up at him. "I assured him I was just doing my job….."

"I see." Johnny said deep in thought. "Liz, you know he's a very dangerous man right?"

"Yes. I got that impression. But, I was just as shocked to see him here as you were."

Johnny nodded. "Do not trust anything he says and if you are alone and he corners you, do whatever it takes to get away."

"I understand. " She said trying to smile. "Johnny, I need a favor."

Johnny was surprised. "What can I do for you?" He said smiling back at her.

"Can you talk to Michael for me?"

"What's wrong? Is this about what happened earlier?"

"Yes. He was completely out of control and I think he could use someone to talk to right now."

"Of course I will talk to him. I will also talk to Ric as well." He said frowning.

Johnny noticed that the medicine was starting to hit Liz and she could barely keep her eyes open. He patted her hand and promised to go see Michael. He'd keep the Santi thing to himself for now. He pulled out his phone.

"Milo?"

"Yeah boss."

"Get over to the hospital and stay outside of Liz Webber's room until someone else relieves you in the morning. I want to know everyone that goes in and out."

"I'm on it." Milo said hanging up the phone.

Johnny headed over to Michael's apartment.

Michael heard the banging on the door. He ran to the door and looked to see who it was.

"Johnny?" He said surprised.

"Michael. What's up?" He said walking into the apartment.

"You want a beer?" Michael offered.

"Yeah, have one with me."

Michael walked to the kitchen and got two beers.

"I heard what went down today." Johnny said taking a swig.

"I lost control. It won't happen again."

Johnny laughed. "I don't think you can guarantee that one Michael. But, it never hurts to try."

Michael smiled. "Ric just infuriates me. I just want to smash him in the face."

"I get it. He's an ass. But, you have got to learn to control your anger. There are times to display it, but most times you have to keep your cool."

Michael nodded.

"Michael, I get a feeling you want to be boss."

Michael didn't say anything. He just looked at Johnny. He wasn't sure he was ready to put his cards on the table.

"I'm willing to help you with that, but you've got to listen to me and you have to control your anger." Johnny said very seriously.

"I understand. I need to learn everything I can about my dad's organization. Can you help me Johnny? I will make it worth your while."

Johnny took another swig of the beer. "There is a lot to learn Michael. I don't think you really understand the price that is paid to be in this business. You may lose everyone you love because of the things you have to do to stay alive. Have you even thought about what this will do to your relationship with Liz?"

"Yes, I have. I love her Johnny, but I have got to do this. I'm hoping she doesn't give me any ultimatums. But, I think we both know that I have to do this, at any cost."

Johnny nodded and finished off the beer.

"Well, I know that tomorrow morning is the burial. So, why don't we start on Thursday."

"Sounds good." Michael said shaking his hand.

Johnny walked out the door and sighed. He wasn't sure that Michael could handle all of this responsibility, but if he was going to tackle it, Johnny wanted to make sure that he helped him and that everyone knew what Johnny had done.

The next morning, Liz opened her eyes to find Carly in her room.

"Carly?" She said trying to focus.

"Sorry to bother you this early, but we need to talk and I wanted to do this before the service."

Liz nodded. She was dreading the conversation but knew it was about Michael.

"We both know that Michael hasn't been himself lately." Carly felt the tears building up in her eyes. "And I think we both know where he is headed."

Liz really didn't want to talk about this. The thought of it had been eating her up for 2 days.

"I need to know what you're going to do." Carly said softly. "You know I'm not your biggest fan, but Michael loves you and he really needs you right now. I need to know that you're not going to run."

Liz was crying at this point. Her heart was breaking and she just wanted to pretend it wasn't happening.

"Carly, I have 2 kids to think about."

Carly's eyes narrowed. "Dammit Liz. " She hated to bring up Jake but she felt the anger rise inside of her. "After all that happened with Jake, you still are going to hide behind that?"

Liz cringed as her words assaulted her ears. "You know damn well that the mob almost killed Michael."

"Michael getting shot had nothing to do with the mob. It was because of what Sonny did to Claudia. And yes, my kids have been put in danger a few times. But most of the time it wasn't mob related."

Liz heard her, but she was still torn. It was more complicated than Carly was projecting.

"Even if you back away from Michael, you would still be a target anyway because of how he feels about you. If Jason hadn't died and he had chosen to get back with you, would you have walked away from him again? Because I don't think you would have."

"Carly. I don't know what to say to you. I love Michael with all of my heart. I just don't know if I could live within that lifestyle. I don't have an answer for you right now."

Carly clenched her mouth for a moment trying to come up with the right words to say. "We cannot abandon him when he needs us so much. I do not want that life for him, but he's always been in a collision course with it. Please, just say you'll try."

Liz nodded yes trying her best not to completely break down.

Carly got up to leave and then turned before she walked out of the room, "Thank you."

Liz looked up at the ceiling and said, "What am I going to do?" before breaking into sobs. This week had taken a toll on her and their relationship. She knew she just wasn't ready to give up on him but at the same time the lifestyle scared her. She sighed and closed her eyes and thought of all the good times they had the last year and smiled. It's going to be okay, she told herself; over and over.


	7. Chapter 7 - One Last Goodbye

Chapter 7 + One Last Goodbye

"Okay, Ms. Webber." Epiphany said walking into the room. "I have your release papers."

Liz turned over and looked up at her and smiled. Epiphany could tell she had been crying.

"You just need to get some rest and you should be as good as new the next few days." She said removing Liz's IV.

"Thanks Epiphany."

"Lord knows I'll be glad to have you back. If I find one more chart misfiled, heads are gonna roll." She said walking out the door.

"It must be really slow around here if you have nothing better to do than visit me." Liz said catching a glance of Felix coming towards her room.

"Please. I'm the highlight of your day." He said making a face. "So what was up with that creepy dude visiting you last night?"

"Oh, I'm not really sure."

"Your milkshake just brings all the boys to the yard." He said dramatically.

They both started laughing.

"So, why have you been crying?" He said grabbing her hand.

Liz sighed, this was much heavier of a conversation than they were used to having. "Do you really want to know?"

"Do I stutter?" He said moving his neck.

She smiled and then looked away. "I just have some choices to make about Michael."

"Why? I thought you were happy." He said alarmed.

"I have been. But, some things have changed."

"Go on."

"I think that Michael wants to be the head of the Corinthos organization now."

Feliz stared back at her for a moment stunned. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure. Carly wants me to stand by him. I'm just concerned about the boys."

Felix rubbed her hand. He hated to see her like this and he really liked Michael. "Maybe there is some way you can make it work. Michael is not Sonny. "

"I know that. It's not even just about the boys, it's about Michael's safety as well."

"I get it. But, the real question is, are you willing to give up everything that you have based on what if's?"

Epiphany walked by and stared at Felix and cleared her throat.

"Shit, I have to go. We will talk about this later."

Liz grabbed the phone. She needed to find a ride to the funeral.

"AJ?"

"Liz? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Anything"

"Can you pick me up and take me home so I can get changed for the funeral?"

"I'm on my way."

Michael was going with Carly, so AJ didn't have to worry about escorting his son.

Liz got up and went into the bathroom to change.

Michael looked out of the window of the limo. He felt his mom take his hand and squeeze. He would be really glad when it was over. As they drove through the cemetery, he could see the white canopy and chairs set up. Some people were already there. The sun glittered of a piece of metal from the casket. They had requested that the casket be there already when the family arrived. He kept telling himself that he could make it through this. He wished that Liz was here.

They got out of the car and walked towards everyone. They took their places as people touched their shoulders; some crying silently.

Michael felt a hand on his shoulder and took in the smell of her perfume. He stood up and turned to her. Liz reached out and took him into her arms. He felt a few tears fall down his face. After everyone was in place, Father Tony started to speak. He was no longer in the priesthood, but everyone still called him Father and he was a close friend of the family.

Michael listened to him speak, when it was time, he stood and thanked everyone for coming. People started placing roses on the casket and paying their last respects. He sat back down and was stunned to see who was standing in front him.

"Starr?" He said standing up.

"Michael, I'm so sorry." She said embracing him. She missed him so much. She knew he had moved on but it was hard seeing him again. "I wanted to come pay my respects and make sure you are okay."

They stepped back from each other. Liz slipped away so Michael had time to talk to her.

"It was very nice of you to come." She turned to speak to Liz but noticed she had gone.

Michael turned to look for and finally saw her standing off to the side with Carly & AJ.

"I should go." Starr said softly.

He grabbed her hands and thanked her again and watched as she walked away. It was good seeing her. It actually gave him some closure because he realized he was completely over her.

He placed his rose on the casket and then started walking towards Liz but he stopped when he heard a loud sob coming from behind him.

Kristina was sitting on the ground sobbing her eyes out. Alexis was trying to calm her but nothing she said was working. Michael grabbed Alexis's arm and she moved back. He kneeled next to Kristina.

"Kristina." He said softly. She looked up at him and then flung herself into his arms. The force knocked Michael on his butt and he sat there and held her. When she finally calmed down a bit, he got her to stand up. He motioned for Milo and he came over and swept Kristina into his arms and took her back to Alexis's car.

Kristina was doing the worst out of all of them. Michael was worried about her. She didn't make the best decisions when she was wreck.

He felt Liz take his hand. He grabbed it and motioned for his mom. He wanted to get out of there.


	8. Chapter 8 – Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Chapter 8 – Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Michael and Liz walked into the dark house. He missed not having the boys there, but since Liz was recuperating, Grams had taken them.

He flicked on the light and watched as Liz walked towards him. She looked exhausted. He swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He laid her down gently.

"Michael, we need to talk."

"I know." He said taking off his tie. "But, right now I just need to feel you." He said as a tear rolled down his face. She reached up and pulled him down next to her and just held him as he softly cried. It had been a very long day for them both. He moved so that she was now lying on his chest and he spoke softly to her.

"You, the boys, ELQ, have been my life for the last year." He felt her snuggle closer. "I can't even imagine losing you at this point. I think I'd be a total wreck." He said catching his breath. "I need to know that you aren't going anywhere. I know it's so much to ask of you. I know I'm asking you to expose the boys to danger, but you know I'd do everything possible to protect you."

Liz lay there listening to his heart beat quicken. She thought about what Carly and Felix said and tried to look deep into her heart. She thought about how she had wanted Jason back, before he died, which meant she would have been willing to try. Her heart was telling her to never let him go but her head was flashing big warning lights.

"Liz, say something." He said desperately.

She pulled back from him and looked up into his eyes. "Michael, I'm so twisted up inside right now that I ache. I don't want to be without you. I just don't think I can walk away."

He closed his eyes relishing her last sentence and reopened them. "Does that mean what I think it does?" He said holding his breath.

"I will be there for you." She said softly.

He dove into her mouth and kissed her so deeply Liz had to push him away to catch her breath. Michael unbuttoned her dress and started to kiss and ravish her until he felt her moan with desire. He teased her body until she screamed out his name and begged him to make love to her. And as they came together and collapsed on the bed, he held her tightly knowing that her decision came with a lot of sacrifice. At that point, Michael realized just how much Liz loved him, and he smiled for the first time that day.

The next morning he headed over to ELQ to talk to his father.

Michael knocked on the door.

AJ smiled at Michael and said. "Son, come in."

AJ knew why Michael was there.

"I need to talk to you about my working situation."

"I know."

"I think you know how it feels to want to prove yourself."

"I do." AJ said looking down.

"I need to do that right now. It's something I've always wanted."

"I'm scared for you, son."

"I'll be protected. I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm also scared for me too." AJ said staring at him. He felt like Michael was trying to go from young adult to man in 5 minutes.

Michael stopped and looked at him. He realized he'd probably have to make sure his father was watched as well. "I will protect you too."

"Dammit Michael, it would kill me if I lost you, and I certainly don't want to lose my life over Sonny's business." AJ said brimming with emotion.

Michael understood his outburst. He knew this would cost his father. "I'm sorry you feel like this dad. I get it. But, I'm not planning on you dying today, or tomorrow, or anytime soon. And hopefully you're around until your drooling and forgetting my name." Michael said smiling.

AJ chuckled. "Listen Michael, I do want you to be happy. Yes, I'd rather you be here with me. I'm not going to lie about being worried or concerned. The business is dangerous. But, you are pig-headed like me, so I'll just have to learn to accept it." AJ said exasperated.

"Can I borrow your phone?" He said seriously.

"Sure."

"I need to call Alexis to draw up some papers."

"Papers?" AJ said confused.

"Yeah, I'm suing you for genetic cruelty."

They both started laughing.

"I love you Michael, if this is what you need, then I will support you." AJ said standing up. He walked around to other side of the desk and they hugged.

"Thanks dad." Michael said smiling. "Just make sure you don't do that in public. It will ruin my street cred."

AJ laughed and watched him walk out the door. God, please keep him safe, he thought to himself.

Michael headed over to Johnny's. That's when he saw the police lights. He looked down at his speedometer and he was going the speed limit. He pulled over. He saw Dante get out of the car.

"Dante?"

"Heah Michael. Can I get in the passenger side please?"

"I guess, sure." Michael said confused.

Dante climbed in the car and said, "Michael, can you please stop and think about what you are doing?"

"You stopped me for this?"

"I didn't think you'd talk to me any other way." He said sadly.

"Look Dante, I have to do what I have to do. You made your choice to be a cop, and I'm going to make my choice to be a coffee importer." Michael said with a smile.

"You were happy at ELQ. Sonny wanted better for you then being in the mob. Why are you going against him?"

So, he's going to play the Sonny card, Michael thought shaking his head.

"I'm going to prove him wrong. I wasn't happy at ELQ and this is all I ever wanted to do. It's what I know."

Dante chuckled. "I guess there's nothing I can say to talk you out of this then?"

Michael shook his head. "No."

"I hope you understand that you're not going to be able to take a shit without wondering if we're watching."

"That's really disgusting." Michael said frowning. "A man should be able to take a dump in peace."

Dante chuckled. "Seriously Michael, I don't want you to end up back in jail."

Michael turned to look into Dante's eyes. "Do what you have to do and I'll do what I have do."

Dante turned and got out of the car. He knew Michael was on a collision course and there was nothing he could do about it.


	9. Chapter 9 - Mob 101

**A/N: Not getting many reviews. Hope you guys like the story. If you have time, I would appreciate feedback so I know I'm on the right track. **

Chapter 9 – Mob 101

Michael made it to Johnny's a little late.

"Heah, where have you been?"

"Dante pulled me over." He said rolling his eyes.

"Already?" Johnny said shrugging his shoulders. "What'd you do, almost run over a little lady in the crosswalk?"

Michael smiled, "No, he wanted to try and talk me out of this."

Johnny could see from his expression that Michael wasn't having any of that conversation. He motioned him over to the couch.

"Tomorrow, you start being driven around. Milo is going to be your driver. He's a little nervous sometimes, but he'll do what he has to if it comes down to it. He's loyal."

Michael nodded. He liked Milo.

"One other thing, you probably aren't going to like this, but you really should think about moving into the compound. There's plenty of room and it's in a secure location for the kids. You don't have to, but Liz has neighbors and it's a little too close for comfort."

"I'll think about it."

"Alright, let's get started."

"I watched the Godfather last night so I really think I'm good to go." Michael deadpanned.

Johnny laughed. "At least it wasn't Scarface."

Johnny and Michael went over the different families and who was who for hours until Michael could barely keep his eyes open. Johnny called Milo to come get Michael and take him home. He'd have someone drive Michael's car back to Liz's house in the morning.

Michael stepped out on the building and walked towards the black town car. Milo held the door open and he climbed inside.

Milo then ran around the car and jumped in the driver seat. "You alright back there boss?" He said reverently.

"Yeah. Thanks Milo."

"No problem."

They drove in silence until they got to Liz's house where Michael practically dragged himself out of the car.

"Night Milo." He said sleepily.

"Night Boss."

It was weird being called Boss, he thought to himself. But, it felt really good.

The next morning, they got the kids where they needed to go and Michael and Liz went to Kelly's to eat.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" She said curiously.

Michael took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to ask you this."

"Is the "boss" afraid of wittle old me?" She said grinning.

He chuckled. She had started calling him that. The kids thought it was funny.

"Johnny thought it would be a good idea if we moved into Sonny's compound. It's well guarded, has a great backyard, the neighbors aren't so close. What do you think?" He said nervously.

Liz tried to process his words. "I guess I would have to think about that." She said pushing her eggs around the plate.

"I know why the house means a lot to you. We don't have to sell it."

She looked relieved. "Ok Michael."

He looked at her totally surprised. "That's it?"

"That's it. I'm not going to stand in the way of you protecting us. I just have one condition." She said before drinking some juice.

"I'm scared to ask."

"I get to re-decorate. It looks like a bachelor's pad over there."

He grinned. "Well, I am a bachelor."

"That's because you haven't made an honest woman out of me yet." She said winking at him.

She had no idea but Michael had already been thinking about their marital situation. He just wanted their life to be a little more stable. He also knew that if they weren't married, it would give Elizabeth an out if things got rough.

They finished breakfast and went their separate ways with a lot on their minds. Michael headed to the shooting range, and Liz went to the hospital. They're daily lives were like night and day.

It had been 3 weeks since Michael started learning the business. The rumors were flying that Michael was now running the show. He was getting reports left and right about defectors and gossip. It was time to have a meeting with all the Capo's.

Cee, Jimmy Corrales, Mikey Scapone, Tony Valiano, and Santo Batisto; it was a list that would have made the FBI drool. Most were located in New York since Sonny had handled most of the action in Port Charles.

They all settled into the war room in the warehouse. Michael sat at the head of the table with Johnny and Shawn on either side. Jimmy chose to sit opposite Michael which felt like a challenge. There were rumors that Jimmy wasn't happy with his position in the organization and had been running his mouth. Sure enough, a few times during the meeting Jimmy challenged Michael.

Michael waited for him to slip up again and he picked up the knife in front of it and flung right at Jimmy's head. He just missed him and Jimmy dove onto the floor. No one made a sound. Johnny was shocked that Michael would be that intense but Shawn was smiling on the inside. It was a statement Michael needed to make.

"Get him out here." He said to Shawn. "Take him to the basement."

"Boss, I'm sorry." Jimmy said quickly. "I meant no disrespect."

Michael sat there and coldly stared at him. "Just know that I missed on purpose."

Shawn yanked him out of the room and shut the door.

Johnny was proud of Michael. And from the look on everyone's faces in the room, everyone could use a trip to the bathroom.

They finished up the meeting and before long the incident was legend. It was just what Michael needed for them to start taking him seriously.

Milo drove Michael home. It was a long day and although he was tired, he was also missing Elizabeth.

When he finally got home, there were boxes everywhere. Liz had started packing.

"Babe?" He yelled out.

"Up here." She yelled from upstairs.

He climbed the stairs and saw the kids were in the bathtub. Aiden had bubbles on his head and Cam was dumping some water on his head to remove them.

"Heah there, boss." She said getting up from the floor.

They hugged and kissed as the kids giggled in the tub.

"I'm going to go get changed." Michael said walking towards their bedroom.

"Ok boys, let's get out of the tub."

"Awww mom." Cam said pouting.

"Don't awww mom me. You're going to turn into a prune." Aidan giggled loudly. "Cam is a prune…."

Michael helped her put the kids to bed and then they went downstairs.

"How was your day?" He said patting her on her butt before they sat down.

"Too long." She said flopping onto the couch.

Liz knew better to ask him about any details.

They cuddled and were watching a movie until they both fell asleep. Michael woke up a few hours later and carried her up to the bedroom. Morning would come fast.


	10. Chapter 10 - Kristina

A/N Please review. It would be nice to know if people are enjoying the story, or not.

Chapter - 10 Kristina

It had been a month since her father died. She was stunned when Michael took over the business. Part of her was even jealous. She thought she was probably better suited for the job. Michael was too nice. Sonny & Kristina had parted on bad terms. She had wanted Johnny and her father was not having it. She had agreed to go to Europe because she just wanted away from him. The guilt of hating him was eating her alive. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were baggy from crying, but she still was beautiful. She took out the vial and put a little bit of powder in the cap and sniffed. She needed to have some fun and forget. She wiped her nose and went back into the club.

"I love this song." She screamed making her way to the dance floor. A guy she didn't know pulled her into him and started dancing. She didn't even look at him. He was just a body. She moved around the floor with abandon until the song was over. The DJ started playing a slow song and she grimaced and turned back towards the bar, and that was when she saw him. Christian Escobar, her mark. Pictures did not do him justice. She figured if she was going to lose herself completely, she might as well go straight to hell. It was no accident that she was there that night. It was carefully planned.

Christian stared at the woman on the dance floor. She was gorgeous. The way she moved her body around so freely, turned him on. He knew exactly who she was but wasn't sure why she was there. She knew it was their territory. She just didn't seem to care. He watched her come towards him. It almost seemed like slow motion. She completely ignored the men asking her to dance and their eyes were completely locked. She came right up to him and leaned in closely.

"Kristina." She whispered in his ear.

The closeness of her body and the sweetness of her scent made him want to drown inside in her body.

He put his hand on her back to keep her close and huskily said, "Christian."

Kristina felt her body shiver and they separated slightly so they could look into each other's eyes. Christian pushed her onto the dance floor and she relaxed into his body. They moved as one as he softly ran his fingers down her bare back as she slightly moaned in response.

He jerked backwards and stared into her eyes.

"Come with me." He said leading her out. His men watched him walk out and followed him to the door to make sure he was protected. They knew who she was and were sure this was an ambush.

But, he knew from her reaction and glazed eyes that the only thing she wanted was seduction. And Christian had no problem giving it to her.

He made his way out of the club into awaiting car. He put up the window partition in the limo and turned back to her. She hungrily kissed him and he grabbed her and sat her on his lap. Her body was curvy in all the right places and he wanted her so badly he was almost ready to take her right there. But, he had other plans. They continued to make out until the car pulled into his estate. He swung her off of him and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go."

Kristina looked around and saw guards everywhere. She knew this was probably the most stupid thing she had ever done, but the drugs wouldn't let her linger on that. She was completely turned on by him and would do whatever he asked. She just wanted to escape.

He took her into the house and told the guards that he didn't want to be disturbed. His cousin Marco just looked at him like he was crazy. He knew who she was and knew this could bring them a whole lot of trouble. He also knew better than to say anything.

He led her into this bedroom and removed his jacket. She stood there staring at him for a moment, then stepped out of her shoes and removed her dress. He smiled at the care she had taken to prepare for him. Her taste in lingerie was sexy and a bit naughty. He moved towards her as he threw off his shirt. He hungrily grabbed her as he spun her around and pushed her onto the bed. He took off his pants and underwear and lay next to her. There was no material around her nipples so he sucked them while exploring between her legs. Kristina gasped as he used his fingers to tease and make her wet. Christian was so turned on that he couldn't take it. He stood up and pulled off her underwear and then quickly lay on top of her. She opened her legs to him and wrapped her legs around him slowly pulling him into her. He started to thrust inside of her, his movements building with intensity until she cried out his name thrashing underneath him. He kept at it harder and harder until he couldn't hold it anymore and fell onto her as he released himself into her. He rolled off of her as she cuddled against him. They both were thinking about the craziness of what they had done. But, it was too late to go back, and they both wanted to do it again.

Two days later, Johnny stared at the footage of Kristina leaving the club with Christian.

"Fuck." He said slamming his hand on the desk. He didn't know how he was going to tell Michael about it. They were still in a truce with the Escobar family and Kristina had just probably shot that to hell.

At the same time, Michael came into his office and saw a CD on his desk. It just said the words, "watch me" on it. He stared at it for a moment and then popped it into his computer. He could see Christian Escobar in bed with a woman. "What the fuck"! He said confused. He wasn't sure why he would receive something like this until the woman's face came into few. There was his sister getting screwed by Christian Escobar. He threw the laptop against the wall, but for some reason, it didn't break and the sound of their love making was bouncing off all of the walls. He took out the gun and shot it once, and then picked it up and slammed it against the wall.

Johnny heard the shot and everyone ran towards the office. Johnny watched Michael sinking into his chair. He motioned for the other men to leave and then shut the door behind him.

"Michael, what is going on?"

Michael glared at him. "Kristina is fucking Christian Escobar." He growled.

"I just found out about 5 minutes ago." Johnny said quietly.

"Dammit!" He said pounding the desk. "What the hell is she doing?"

Johnny didn't say anything. Kristina had been self-destructing for the last few weeks. She had been doing drugs and screwing strangers. She wouldn't listen to anyone.


	11. Chapter 11 – Coming Undone

**A/N Thanks for the review. I know it seems bad, but don't count Kristina out just yet. **

Chapter 11 – Coming Undone

Kristina got out of the tub and went and poured herself a drink. She took out her vial and sniffed some coke. She threw the empty vial on the counter. She knew she was beginning to crave it and she should stop. But, she didn't care enough to do it. She knew Michael would be pissed when he found out. But, he couldn't tell her what to do.

"Baby, come out here."

She wiped her nose and walked back into the bedroom. She saw him standing there in his underwear and sashayed over to him. She kissed him deeply until she heard him moan.

"We have company."

Kristina turned around and saw the woman lying on the bed. She had long brunette hair and she was quite beautiful and very naked. She turned back and looked at him puzzled.

"I want you to go have fun with our guest."

The drugs were kicking in and Kristina just wanted to feel good. Still, she was a bit hesitant.

"Come on baby, do it for me. I got something for you today." He held up a vial of coke. He took some out and sniffed it.

She started to grab it and he pulled it back, teasing her. "You know what you have to do to get it." He said gazing over at the bed.

Kristina slowly walked over to the bed. She stood staring at the women not sure what to do. The woman grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her.

"My name is Gabriella." She said smiling seductively. "You're very pretty."

The woman put her hand behind Kristina's head and began kissing her face before finally capturing Kristina's lips. Kristina gave in to the sensation and eagerly kissed her back. She didn't care. She was numb. She started to touch Kristina and Carlos couldn't stand it.

"How dare you let her touch you"! He said raging.

Kristina fell back on the bed stunned; ears ringing. Why was he hitting her when he told her to go do this? She thought to herself. Christian immediately realized what he had done and began to kiss Kristina and apologize to her in Spanish. Kristina was still in shock but between the drugs and the things he was doing to her body, she fell back on the bed as he started to enter her. She cried out his name as he furiously pumped in and out of her body. Her body shook as wave after wave of orgasms shattered through her and he finally released himself within her. She waited until he had fallen asleep and she went into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and started to cry, there was a big purple and blue and bruise forming on her face. What am I doing? She thought to herself.

The next day, she drank her breakfast and sniffed up the coke he gave her like it was nothing. She called for a car to take her over to the warehouse.

She stumbled inside the building and opened the back door.

"Where's Michael?" Kristina said walking up to Milo.

"He's busy right now Kristina."

"To…busy…for me?" She said slurring her words. Milo knew she was drunk or high, or both.

He grabbed her arm to lead her away.

"Get your filthy hands off of me." She yelled at him.

Johnny looked over at Michael and headed towards the office door.

"What the fuck is going on out here." He said annoyed. Then, he saw her on the other side of Milo.

"I want to talk to Michael now, she said brushing past him."

Michael saw her come through the door and was seething. She looked like a walking train wreck.

"Kristina, not now." He said in a low growl.

The Lopez brothers looked down out of respect.

Kristina was irate. "What, you can't make time for your sister? Are you so big now that you can't make time for me?"

Michael stood up and walked towards her, the tension in the room was palpable.

"Get out right now." He said intensely.

She smacked him across the face as she saw his look turn to murderous. She immediately realized she overstepped.

"I'm sorry, Michael." But, Michael wasn't having any of it. He grabbed her by the hair, as she smacked at his hands and screamed. He led her out of the office and slammed the door behind him, as he heard Johnny apologizing to his guests.

"Get your hands off of me." She said twisting out of his grasp.

"I don't know what the fuck your problem is but if you ever do that again….."

"What. You're gonna kill me Michael?" She said crying.

"Enough of this bullshit"! He growled. "It is not my fault that you can't keep your legs closed and that you've decided to become some drugged up slut that I don't even recognize anymore." She gasped as he said it. "But, if you do anything else to compromise my organization, you will be dead to me." He said slamming his hand on the desk. He really didn't mean that but he thought maybe it would shock her out of her drugged up haze.

Kristina crumbled to the floor. "I'm sorry Michael." She kept saying over and over.

Michael smoothed out his suit and motioned for Milo. "Get her out of here. Take her to that rehab facility Johnny sent Paulie too. I'm done with this shit."

Milo nodded and lifted Kristina off of the floor. He picked her up and took her out. Michael took a deep breath and walked back into the room. Everyone looked up at him, concerned.

"Family….." He said smiling.

Everyone nodded and chuckled and they went back to business. Kristina was a loose cannon and they all had too much to lose if they didn't shut her down.


	12. Chapter 12 – Dangerous Lure

**A/N - Please take time to review so I know if something is working or not. It really helps my creative process. Thanks!**

Chapter 12 – Dangerous Lure

A few days later, Michael was in a meeting with Chucky "Cee" Milano, and Johnny. He need to make sure Cee (as every one called him) was handling business on the East side. He was a big guy and even though his soldiers were scared of him, he also took care of each and every one of them. Cee had been a capo for 5 years. He was well respected. The challenge for Michael was making sure people that were loyal to Sonny would be loyal to him.

"Michael, we had a 20% profit this last month. The people who were slacking on payment terms are forking it over cause they all heard about the knife incident. They think you got something to prove. That could work in our favor." He said munching on his sandwich. He wasn't going to say it, but there was also a rumor that Michael had put Kristina 6 ft under.

Michael was pleased. But, the sight of him eating totally took away his appetite. Johnny chucked under his breath because he knew what Michael was thinking. Before Cee came in, they were joking about having to widen the door.

"Hold on a minute." Cee said grabbing the phone. "Vinny, what's the problem? I'm in a meeting with the boss."

Michael and Johnny watched him closely.

"What the fuck Vinny? I told you not to hire that little prick. I told you he was trouble. Take care of it." He said slamming the phone on the table. He picked up the hoagie and before he took a bite, he said, "Fucking Marco. I hate that fucking name; pisses me off just thinking about it. If you're name is Marco, they should take you out back and put a bullet in your head. Bang." He said shooting an imaginary gun. Then he buried his mouth into the giant hoagie roll.

Michael and Johnny couldn't hold it in and just started laughing.

"What?" He said his mouth full of food.

That response, made them laugh even more. They finally got themselves together and finished the meeting. As Cee walked out the door (sideways), Michael held his breath until the door closed and they both exploded with laughter. Thank God he got the room soundproofed after the Kristina incident.

"Get that freaking sandwich out of here." Michael managed to spit out.

Johnny looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not touching that shit." He said laughing again.

'I'm the boss, you handle it." Michael said trying to look serious.

"Michael, I'd do just about anything for you, but that….. You're just pushing your authority."

With that, Johnny dialed the secretary. "Valerie, get in here and clean this shit up."

"Yes sir." Valerie said clearly annoyed.

They both started busting up again. Life was good.

Liz sat down in the nurse's lounge. No one else was around and she finally got some peace. Epiphany was in a foul mood and rode her all day. She closed her eyes and laid back. As she settled down and sighed, Felix came bounding through the door.

"Heah there mob wife. I hope you don't mind that I submitted you to the show."

Liz opened her eyes and stared at him. "I don't have time for reality."

"Make time. I'm going to make you a star."

"You're crazy, you know that right?" She said lying back again.

"All you need is a little more drama. You got the cougar thing down."

"Felix." She yelled.

He laughed. "So, what's going on in mob central?"

"I'm in packing hell, Cameron sprained his finger, and Aidan's nose hasn't stopped running for the last 2 days. You know, must see tv."

Felix rolled his eyes. "You need to take me over to the "compound" so I can see what I need to do to it to Lizify it."

Liz laughed. "Lizify huh? I could probably use your skills. I haven't had time to figure out what I'm going to do."

"You had me at skills. What time do I need to be there?" He said standing up.

"Tonight at 8:00 p.m."

"Is Milo going to be there?"

"Milo?" She said giving him a funny look.

"What, have you seen those abs and that butt?"

"Ewwww. I don't want to talk about Milo's butt." She said getting off the couch.

"What it's firm…" Liz yelped. "I can't hear you, I can't hear you," she said walking out of the room.

"I'll be there at 8," He yelled out.

Liz walked into the hall and almost ran right into Tomas Santi.

"Nurse Webber."

Liz totally froze when she saw it was him.

"Mr Santi."

"Tomas."

She smiled politely. "How is your leg?"

"Oh, it's getting better every day. I'm off to my physical therapy. You wouldn't mind walking me would you?"

She looked at the 2 men who were shadowing him. He noticed her stare and turned to look at them.

"Give us a little space, will you guys." He said waving at them.

They nodded and held back a little.

Liz walked next to him making sure he got to the therapy room as he slowly walked to the rehab room.

"I know I probably make you uncomfortable."

"It's just I know who you are and that is a little intimidating."

He stopped and looked at her. "Can we rest for a minute?" He said looking over at some chairs.

"Of course," She said steering them over to them.

They sat down and Tomas said. "Much better, I was getting tired. I don't want you to feel that way around me. I have no intention of harming you."

"I appreciate that. " She wished to God that Epiphany would come around the corner and tell her she was needed elsewhere.

"I know this is forward, but I would really like you to come to dinner with me."

Suddenly, Johnny came out of nowhere. The two men that were shadowing Tomas moved forward and drew their guns. Johnny held his hands up and walked towards them. Liz could feel Tomas tense up.

"Mr Zacchara, to what do I owe this visit?"

Johnny grabbed Liz's hand and pulled her up and into him. Tomas watched, amused.

"I'm sorry Mr. Santi, but Liz is not allowed to associate with you."

Liz grimaced. She really didn't want any trouble. She was relieved to see Johnny, but at the same time, she was petrified at the outcome of the conversation.

"I believe Ms. Webber is a single adult. Are you speaking for her now?"

Johnny clenched his jaw and said, "Ms. Webber is spoken for. I would appreciate it if you would stay away from her."

Tomas looked at Liz. She was so beautiful. But, he saw how frightened she was and decided to back off.

"I meant no disrespect Johnny. If Ms. Webber is spoken for and does not want to speak with me than I will honor her wishes." He said standing and bowing slightly to Liz. "Another day." He said winking at her.

Liz smiled and looked away. At this point, she was trembling. Johnny could feel her shaking and put his arm around her more tightly to steady her. They both watched as Tomas walked away.

Johnny pulled her over the chairs and they sat down.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was just scared all hell was going to break loose." She said nervously laughing.

"Why were you talking to him again?"

"Johnny, I'm a nurse. I don't want to offend the man. I don't want him coming after me. He scares me." She said suddenly tearing up.

"I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you Liz. I just want to make sure you are safe."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "Johnny, I'm off work right now and Michael won't be home for a while, can you take me to the shooting range?"

"Yeah, I think we can fit in an hour."

"Follow me." She said leading him towards the locker room. She ran inside and quickly changed and then got her purse and headed out. After the encounter with Tomas, she was really excited.


	13. Chapter 13 The Park

**A/N Please give a review. If you have a second. It would help me to know if you like the story.**

Chapter 13 = The Park

Michael sat in the office with Johnny.

"How's Kristina?" He said softly.

Johnny shifted in his seat. "From what I can gather, she's doing as well as expected."

Michael nodded. Kristina had been in rehab for over a week. He was really worried that he had been too harsh with her.

"They want you to come to some kind of family session next Friday."

Michael was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, they are requesting that you and Alexis both come."

Michael flinched. He was sure that Alexis would want to drive down together. After everything that happened, he thought it might be awkward between them.

"Alright, offer Alexis a ride. Just let Valerie know to add it to my schedule."

Johnny's phone beeped. It was a text from Milo.

_Boss…come to the park like yesterday. I'm on the East side near the playground. Hurry._

Johnny couldn't understand at first why Milo would be at the park. Then he realized that he must be with Liz and boys.

"I have to go take care of something."

Michael stared at him for a second. He thought he saw a flash of worry. "Do I need to be involved?"

"I can handle it." He said smiling and walking out of the office.

Liz had decided to get off early and take the boys to the park. It as a beautiful day and she wanted to have a picnic and watch them play.

She saw them run off to the swings with Milo in tow. He was so good with them. She then noticed that someone had walked up to her.

"Tomas." She said shocked.

"Ms Webber." He said pointing to the blanket, "May I?"

He smiled politely. She looked up at the swing set. Milo hadn't noticed their visitor yet.

"I'm not really sure this is a good idea."

"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly.

"Looks like you don't need the cane anymore." She said looking at his leg.

"I'm doing much better. Thank you for asking."

Liz smiled again and nervously looked over at the kids. She saw Milo was texting.

"Liz, you never answered me when I asked you out to dinner."

Liz nervously rubbed her hands on her pants.

"It's not a crime that I find you extremely attractive."

Liz blushed and swallowed hard. "You know that I'm with Michael Corinthos, don't you?"

Tomas smiled. God, he would love to kiss those lips, he thought to himself.

"Yes, I do. But, it's not like you're engaged or married." He said reaching for her hand.

When he touched her, Liz felt a jolt of fear run through her body.

"I am very committed to him." She said slowly pulling her hands away.

She looked up and saw Milo leading the boys further away from her. He was carrying Aiden. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she was happy that the boys would be far away from Mr. Santi.

"I understand. But, maybe I should give you something to think about."

To Liz's horror he reached over and kissed her on the lips and then got up. She sat there stunned as she saw Johnny and some men running up towards her. She tried to stand up as she saw Santi's guards running towards Johnny. She totally lost her balance as someone came crashing into her. She felt herself fall as Tomas tried to reach out to her. But, Johnny blocked his path not understanding what he was doing. As Liz hit the ground, her head hit a rock and it was lights out.

Tomas pushed Johnny aside and grabbed her. Her head was bleeding and he tried to get her to wake up.

Johnny sat on the other side of her.

"Look what you've done." He yelled at Tomas.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident. I would never hurt her." He yelled back.

"I need to get her to the hospital." Johnny said, lifting Liz up into his arms.

Milo could see what was going on and shielded the kids the best he could. He walked them to the car and put them inside so he could take them back to the compound.

"Please, my car is right there. Let me drive you so you can tend to her."

Johnny knew time was of the essence so he allowed Tomas to drive them.

"You better not be jerking my chain." Johnny said as they walked towards it.

"I would never do anything to hurt her. I mean that."

"You already have."

Tomas knew he was right. He should have left her alone. They all got into the car. They were about 10 minutes from the hospital. He gently held her on his lap. She looked so pale. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket.

"Michael."

"Johnny, what's up."

"There's been an accident."

"What?" Michael said sitting back in his chair.

"Liz fell at the park and hit her head. I'm on route to the hospital. Meet me there."

Michael stood up quickly. "Where are the kids?" Liz had texted him that she was taking them out for lunch.

"Milo has them. I think he's taking them back home."

"They didn't see her get hurt, did they?" He said grabbing his keys and running towards the door.

"No, they didn't see anything. They were playing."

"Ok, I'll be right there." He said running to his admin's desk. "Valerie, can you give me a ride to the hospital?"

She could see the look in his eyes and grabbed her purse and keys. They ran to the elevator. Michael could barely breathe.

Johnny laid Liz down onto the gurney. Her co-workers rushed her off into an ER room. Johnny went to the waiting room to wait for Michael. Tomas and his men followed.

"I'd leave right now if I were you."

"I'm a man. I'm not going anywhere." Tomas growled. He was not going to run from Michael. He was not scared of him and he thought it would be better for him to face Michael, man to man.

About 5 minutes later, Michael came running up to Johnny. He quickly noticed Tomas standing there.

"Where is she?"

"They are looking at her. I believe they took her to get a scan."

Michael looked at them both. "Someone want to tell me what is going on here?"

Johnny started to talk, but Tomas interrupted.

"I'm afraid this is my fault."

Michael clenched his teeth and said nothing.

"I saw Nurse Webber sitting on the blanket and I went to say hello. She was very nice to me in the hospital."

Michael nodded.

"We spoke and I did a very foolish thing."

Michael cleared his throat and unconsciously balled up his fist.

"I kissed her."

Johnny saw the murderous look in Michael's eyes.

"Then what?"

Johnny couldn't believe that Michael hadn't already tore Tomas's head off.

"Johnny and some of your men came running up to us, and then my men came running towards me. Liz stood up and I think she lost her balance and fell."

Michael eyes were boring holes through Tomas. He looked over to Johnny for confirmation. Johnny nodded.

"I insisted on driving her to the hospital, since my car was closer, and that is all. I know I overstepped. I would never purposely do anything to hurt her. "

Michael's mind was racing. He could see in Tomas's eyes that he was upset that Liz got hurt. But, the image of him kissing Liz was driving him nuts.

Tomas was shocked that Michael didn't go off the handle. But suddenly, Michael walked up to Tomas and shoved him into the wall.


	14. Chapter 14 - Complications

Chapter 14 - Complications

Tomas's men drew their weapons, but he yelled at them to step back and put their guns away.

Epiphany saw the whole thing and was ready to call the cops. But, then she saw the men step back.

"If you ever touch Elizabeth again, no one will ever find you. I will make sure that you suffer beyond reason." He said intensely.

Tomas didn't say anything. He just stared back at Michael.

Michael felt Johnny touch his arm and he pulled back.

Epiphany walked up to them. "Is there a problem?"

"No, Mr. Santi was just leaving." Michael said nicely.

Tomas straightened out his suit and turned to leave.

"How is Liz." Michael said focusing on Epiphany.

"She is in x-ray. She should be coming out in a few minutes. I'll let you see her as soon as I can." She said smiling at Michael.

"Thank you." He said gratefully.

He watched her walk away and then shot an angry look at Johnny.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Johnny sighed and sat down. He filled Michael in on what had been going on.

"You didn't trust me." He said quietly.

Johnny looked at Michael. He noted how much older Michael looked.

"I'm sorry. I really thought it was handled."

"If you are going to be my right hand, you have to be honest with me no matter what."

Johnny nodded. "I apologize. I was wrong. I should have given you more credit than I did."

Michael sighed and sat back. He knew it wasn't Johnny's fault.

"What do you want to do about Tomas?"

Michael looked over at him. "I want you to find some way to piss in his coffee."

Johnny knew just what he meant, and already had an idea.

Michael walked into Liz's room. She still hadn't regained consciousness.

"Wake up baby." He said softly.

He lay down on her stomach and listened to her heart beat. About 10 minutes later, he felt her stir.

"Liz?" He said looking up at her.

He saw her eyes flutter. Michael grabbed the button and pressed it to page a nurse.

Liz started murmuring, "The boys…"

"They are fine. They are with Milo at the compound. And I texted Felix and he's going to go check on them."

She smiled but not for the reason Michael was thinking. She figured that Felix probably broke his neck to get over there and see Milo.

"How are you feeling?"

But before Liz could answer Patrick came walking through the door. Michael stepped back and Patrick started examining her.

"Michael, can you step out for a minute."

Michael nervously nodded and left the room.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Drake Jr."

Patrick smiled.

"What year is it?"

"2014."

"Who is the President?"

"Romney."

Patrick snapped his head up and looked at her. Liz was smiling.

"Very funny."

Patrick was checking Liz's eyes and he said, "You sure you want to subject yourself and the boys to this kind of life?

Liz swallowed hard. "It was an accident. I lost my balance and fell."

Patrick looked at her and made a face. "If you say so….." He said checking her reflexes. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts."

"Well that is because you cracked it pretty hard."

"Can I go home?"

Patrick studied her. "No, I want to keep you here overnight. You have a concussion."

Liz nodded but tears were coming down her face. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying."

Patrick grabbed her hand, "You just went through a scary event. It's natural that your body has to process that. Let me go get Michael." He said walking through the door.

"What's wrong baby?" Michael said as he saw the tears flowing down her face.

"I don't know. I'm just feeling really emotional."

"Hold on". Michael said dialing his phone. He pushed speaker and held the phone out towards Liz.

"Felix?" He said.

They could hear the boys laughing and screaming.

"Michael?"

"Yes, I'm here with Liz."

"Hey mob wife. Thank goodness you have a hard head."

Liz laughed.

"Michael, you might want to send backup. The boys have Milo pinned to the floor. It's getting ugly in here."

Michael chuckled.

There was a scream and Felix yelled, "No Cam, that is my good leg….I'm going down….. send help!"

They could hear Cameron squeal with delight and say, "I'm the boss." as the phone went dead.

Liz had the biggest smile on her face.

"See, I knew I could get you to smile." Michael said giving her a kiss.

Epiphany walked in the room. She swatted Michael and said, "Get away from her mouth and let that poor girl breathe."

Liz started laughing as Michael actually listened to Epiphany.

"You sure you don't want to come work for me?" He said smiling.

"Boy, your people can't handle this." She said pointing to herself.

Michael and Liz grinned.

"Now, you have to go. I need her to get some rest. She has a long night ahead since we'll have to keep waking her up."

Liz groaned.

Michael leaned over her and quickly kissed her. He stared into her eyes and said, "I love you."

She smiled and said it back. "Tell the boys I love them and miss them."

"I will." Michael said walking out.

Liz watched him walk out the door. Suddenly Johnny appeared. She smiled at her.

"Epiphany, can I have a moment with Johnny and then I promise to behave tonight?"

Epiphany looked her for a moment and then sighed and turned towards the door. "Fine, I'll hold you to that."

Johnny walked in and gave Liz a kiss on the forehead before he sat down. Liz could tell he looked pretty tortured.

"It's not your fault." She said gently grabbing his hand.

Johnny shook his head. "Yes, it is. I should have handled it differently. I should have told Michael too."

"I didn't want to tell Michael either."

"I know but now he thinks that I don't trust him. He actually confronted Tomas in the waiting room."

Liz's eyes grew big.

"Relax, he handled it very well actually. I don't know if I would have done the same. But, he kept it in check."

Liz relaxed again. "I guess we both should have given him more credit."

"I'm just glad you're alright. You scared me so badly. I held you in my arms the whole way to the hospital and you never moved."

Liz felt the tears well up in her eyes. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

Johnny took a deep breath. "If Tomas ever comes up to you again, I want you to tell me."

"I promise I will." She squeezed his hand and said, "I have something to ask you though."

Johnny nodded and waited for the question.

"I want you to find someone to teach me how to defend myself. There might be a time when I need to be ready to fight and I need to protect my boys and myself. I felt so helpless sitting there in the park. I felt so small. I don't want to ever feel like that again." She said with tears falling down her cheeks.

Johnny reached up and gently wiped them away. "Whatever you want. It's probably a really good idea anyway."

"Thank you." She said smiling.

Johnny smiled at her toughness. He hadn't expected her to be like this. He really admired her in that moment.

"Well, I've got to go." He said standing up. "Try to dial down your beauty a bit will you? I can't have every mobster in the tri-state area coming after you. I'll never get anything done." He said smiling.

Liz chuckled and watched him walk out the door. She was very grateful.


	15. Chapter 15 – Baby Steps

**A/N – I see some aren't happy with this story. But if you can hang in there, please do. Thank you Georgianna Z and Just Curious for the encouragement. The mob is dark and light, and I'm trying to show both sides. Johnny and Liz do have interesting chemistry. You will have to wait and see what does or does not happen. Yes, Just Curious, I'm very Lizcentric lol. It's fun pairing her with different people. I am considering doing a Liz/Johnny interaction. I never was before but just writing them as friends I'm starting to see the potential. Stay tuned. I have 4 stories going on at once and 2 other ones I'm writing I haven't published. So, hopefully I'll get to it soon.**

Chapter 15 – Baby Steps

_Skipping forward to meeting with Kristina/Alexis/Michael_

Johnny pulled up to the court house and saw Alexis standing on the sidewalk. He stopped the car and jumped out. He took the stack of papers out of her hand and secured them inside of the trunk.

Alexis got in the back next to Michael.

"Hi."

Michael smiled. "Hi, Alexis."

Alexis stared at him for a second, he seemed older.

"I'm a little nervous." She said.

Michael nodded. "Me too. I didn't have the best interaction with her before she left. "

"I know. But, I'm glad you sent her away. I can't imagine what she would have done if you hadn't."

"She was always a little dramatic."

Alexis smiled knowingly. "Yeah, I think she gets that from both of her parents."

Michael smiled. Kristina was the one that always wore her emotions on her sleeve. You never had to guess how she felt.

"So how are you handling everything?"

"I'm getting used to it."

"I worry about you Michael."

"You don't have too. I'm doing well. I'm really happy."

Alexis gave him a worried smile. "Well, I owe you one, so if you do ever get in trouble….."

"Thanks. Otherwise, I would have to chase Diane around the country."

Alexis smiled at the mention of Diane's name. She really missed her.

They continued to talk about life and Molly and before they knew it, they were there.

Alexis squeezed Michael's hand before getting out of the car. They walked into the building and were sat inside an office.

The door flew open. "Mr. Corinthos, Ms. Davis, welcome." The doctor said shaking their hands.

"Why don't you take a seat? Kristina will be in shortly."

They sat down on the couch and Michael asked, "How is she?"

"As well as could be expected. She's made it through the worst part. Now, we just have to get her to let her feelings out in a healthy way."

They both nodded. They turned as they heard Kristina in the doorway.

Alexis had to fight from gasping out loud. Kristina looked like she had been through hell. She was pale, her eyes looked sunken, and she looked thin.

"I know I've looked better." She said slowly walking into the room.

Alexis jumped up and hugged her. "I missed you so much."

Kristina fought back tears and stood there clinging to her mom. They finally separated and Michael stood up. They stared at each other for a moment before they both said "I'm sorry" at the same time.

They both grinned and Kristina ran into Michael's arms.

The doctor cleared his throat and sat down. Alexis noticed that she fidgeted a lot.

"Kristina wanted you both here today. She wants you to be honest with her about how you feel about her and she has some things to say as well. Ms. Davis, why don't you go first?"

Alexis nervously wiped her hand on her skirt. "Kristina, I love you so much. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you more. But, I'll do whatever it takes from now on. I'll give you whatever you need."

Alexis stopped because she knew she was about to sob. She quickly tried to compose herself. "I'm done. I just wanted you to know whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. I'm not going to judge you for it."

Kristina wiped away a few tears. Michael looked up at the doctor who nodded for him to go.

"I feel like I've failed you in some way."

Kristina was shaking her head no.

"It killed me to see you unraveling. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more. And I'll do whatever it takes to get you the help that you need. I love you. And no matter what happened between you and dad, he loved you very much too. I never heard him talk bad about you after you left."

Kristina took a really deep breath. "Wow, this would be much easier on me if you had just told me what a drugged up bitch I was and how much I hurt you."

Alexis looked stunned. "May I say something?"

"Let her finish first and then you can comment."

Alexis politely smiled and looked back at Kristina.

"I feel like I've majorly ruined everything. I did some really stupid things that I'm having a very hard time forgiving myself over. I want to come back home so badly, but I know that this is the best place for me right now. Hopefully, I will be able to forgive myself one day. Something about the funeral just broke me. I didn't get a chance to make things right and I just shattered into a million pieces. It's going to take time to put me back together. Knowing you don't hate me makes me feel unworthy yet at the same time so grateful. Thank you."

Alexis's face was covered in tears. She just wanted to get up and take Kristina in her arms. She felt so helpless.

"Alexis, what did you want to say?"

"Kristina, I don't think there is anything you can do that would cause me to hate you or stop loving you. I need you to remember that. You are so hard on yourself. We all do things that we wish we could take back. But, all we can do is try to make better decisions going forward."

Kristina got up and ran out of the room. She was just so overcome with emotion. She had to get out of there. Besides, she just couldn't bare to say goodbye to them.

Alexis started really crying and Michael tried to console her.

"Ms. Davis. I'm so very proud of Kristina for being brave enough to open up to you a little today. It's a lot of emotion for her to process. So, she's just a little overwhelmed. In another week, she can have regular visitors. It would be good for her to see you. I don't want you to be discouraged."

Alexis nodded. She would definitely be there for her daughter.

Kristina ran outside to get some fresh air and ran straight into Johnny.

He was shocked to see how badly she looked.

"Kristina."

Kristina was so embarrassed to see him. She tried to smooth her hair a little and try to look normal.

"Johnny."

"Are you okay?" He said brushing her hair from her face.

She shook her head no and dove into him.

Johnny held her for a moment and then pulled her head back.

"You're going to fine Kristina. I promise. We're all going to be there for you."

Something about the way he said it made her feel like she could breathe.

She pulled back and wiped her face and took a deep breath. "Thanks for saying that. I'm sorry if I gave you a lot of trouble."

"You know I like feisty women."

She smiled. "Only you could make me smile on such a shitty occasion."

They both laughed.

"Feel better Princess."

She nodded and walked over to the garden area. She turned around one more time to glance at Johnny. He waved, and she smiled back. It felt good to smile again, she thought to herself; really good.


	16. Chapter 16 – Welcome Back

**A/N - Thanks for the reviews and Pm's. I appreciate the encouragement. Kristina's recovery is going to be very interesting. **

Chapter 16 – Welcome Back

About a month later, Kristina was ready to come home. Johnny volunteered to go pick her up, and had Milo drive.

They pulled up to the building. Kristina was already standing outside with her bags. She was expecting Michael, so she was quite surprised when Johnny got out of the car.

"Johnny?"

"Hey Kristina. Michael had a big meeting, so I came and got you myself."

She smiled. He had to admit, she looked much better than she did before.

"Let's get out of here as fast as you can."

Milo and Johnny threw the bags in the car and everyone got in the car.

"I can't wait to get back to my apartment."

"I stocked your refrigerator with all of your favorites." Milo said loudly.

"Wow, thank you Milo." She turned towards Johnny. "So, tell me what's been going on."

He looked at her surprised. "I didn't think you had an interest in the business."

"That is where you'd be wrong."

"Well, shouldn't you discuss that with Michael?"

"I will. In fact, I've been looking forward to it all week."

"Don't you think maybe you should slow down and rest a bit?"

She shot him a look. "What the hell do you think I've been doing for the last month?"

He laughed. "I don't know, but I think you get my point."

"Look, I need something to do so I won't get in trouble."

"Your mother will have a cow."

Kristina smiled. "Probably, but there is nothing she can do about it. I'm my own woman."

"Fair enough", Johnny said looking out the window.

"Milo, turn up the radio, I love this song." She said bopping her head.

Johnny smiled. It was nice to see her back, he thought to himself.

Michael had finished his meeting and was meeting Liz at the park. He had a special surprise for the boys that he knew they would love.

He parked the car and immediately spotted Liz sitting on a blanket.

"Heah babe." He said plopping down next to her. He pushed her down on the blanket and started kissing her deeply. They broke apart and Liz stared up at him.

"Wow, that was some hello." She said sitting back up.

Michael smiled. "I missed you."

"What's in the bag?"

"A surprise for the boys."

He looked up to see Cameron and Aiden running towards him. They jumped into his arms knocking him backwards. He wrestled with them for a moment as Liz watched them laughing.

"I have a surprise for you two."

They started yelling and jumping up and down.

"Have you been listening to your mother?"

They both yelled, "Yes!"

"Ok, look inside the bag."

The boys tore open the back and started jumping up and down. Michael had brought them two kites.

It was the perfect day for it. They put everything together and they each took a hand and went further into the park. They finally got both of them up in the air, much to the boys delight. Michael walked over to Liz and put his arms around her.

"I love you."

Liz smiled and said, "I love you too."

All of sudden they heard a loud voice yelling, "Hey everybody."

Liz turned and saw Felix running up to them. Aiden squealed and let go of his kite to run towards him. One of the guards grabbed at the string and just caught it before it was too late.

"You need to give him a raise."

Michael laughed as he watched Aiden tackle Felix and sit down on his chest.

"What are you teaching him when I'm not around?" Liz said faking a frown.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The guards took care of the kites and everyone went back to the blanket to eat. Michael looked up to see Johnny, Kristina, and Milo walking up to them. The boys went wild to see Milo. Kristina laughed as she watched him play with them and then sat down.

Michael kissed her welcomed her back.

"It's good to see you Kristina." Liz said smiling.

"Thanks. It's good to be back."

Michael noticed Johnny was still hanging back so he called him over.

"Come sit down, there's plenty of room."

Liz had brought two large blankets. Kristina moved over so Johnny could sit next to her. The move was not lost on Michael. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Kristina, I was wondering if you could maybe watch the boys tomorrow night?"

"Really, you trust me with them?"

Liz scowled. "Of course I do. You've always been great with them."

"Sure, I would love to."

"Is there room for two more?" Alexis said walking towards them. "I brought cupcakes."

The boys squealed and ran up to her. Molly took them by the hands and led them to the other blanket.

Alexis gave them each a cupcake and everyone laughed as most of it ended up on their faces.

Molly helped clean them up and then took them over to the swings with Felix.

Since Alexis was now sitting on the other blanket alone, Kristina got up and sat with her.

"Hey sweetie." Alexis said hugging her.

"Hi mom."

Kristina grabbed a cupcake and started licking off the icing.

"Give me one of those." Michael said reaching over her.

"I only like the icing." Kristina said licking the last of it off.

"Oh really?" Michael said peeling the paper off of his. In one quick move, he smashed the cupcake right into Kristina's face.

Kristina screamed and reached for a cupcake, but Michael tackled her and held her down.

"Mom, help me."

But Alexis wanted no part of it. She had to go to the courthouse afterwards, so she jumped up.

The boys ran up and jumped onto Michael's back.

"Get off of Auntie Kristina." Cameron yelled.

"Yeah, get off." Aiden yelled.

Michael allowed them to get him and Kristina grabbed a cupcake and rubbed it on his face. The boys squealed with laughter.

By the time they were done, the four of them were covered in icing.

"Nice look mob boss." Kristina said laughing.

Liz yelled and they all turned to look at her as she snapped a picture.

"I can't believe you did that." Michael said jumping up.

Liz's eyes grew big and he started to chase her. She ran away as the boys cheered.

Kristina's side hurt she was laughing so hard. She was really glad she was home.


	17. Chapter 17 – The Intruder

**A/N - Thanks for the review! I decided to toughen Liz up a little bit.**

Chapter 17 – The Intruder

Michael drove Liz and the boys home from the park. She put them down for a nap and came back downstairs. Michael was taking a shower so she went into the kitchen to get some water.

She thought she saw someone in the backyard. She finally got a better look at him and she didn't recognize him at all. She crept through the kitchen and went into the pantry. On the top shelf there was a safe. She stood on the stool and got it down. Liz opened it and took out the gun. She put in the magazine and made her way to the back door. She stuck her head out and saw the man walking towards the door. Jumping back inside, she pressed up against the wall and waited for him to pass. As soon as he was in the doorway, she popped out and jumped on his shin causing him to lose his balance. She then used her weight to force him into the ground. She pressed the gun into the back of his neck and her knee into his back and yelled, "Don't move."

Michael had come downstairs and heard her yell and ran to the kitchen.

"What the hell," He said running towards her.

Michael stepped outside and took the gun from her and pulled her backwards.

"Get up."

The man slowly got up and then turned to run.

Michael aimed the gun and was about to take him out, when 2 of his men came flying around the corner.

"Freeze."

The man stopped and held up his hands.

Michael grabbed Liz and went into the house.

"What the fuck was that?"

Liz couldn't believe he was talking to her like that. "Excuse me?"

"I come downstairs to find you outside holding a gun on a guy like you're Kungfu Barbie or something. You don't think I have a right to be upset? You could have been killed."

Liz stared him down for a second before saying, "I would think that you would be grateful that I knew how to protect myself."

"Don't you get it? I know I chose this life and all that comes with it. But, I don't want you involved with it."

"Don't be naïve Michael. How can I possibly not be involved with it when I'm in love with you and we're in a relationship? Like or not, I'm a part of this."

Michael was so mad. He knew what she was saying but he never wanted her exposed to the violence.

Liz took the gun from him and walked back towards the safe as she dismantled it. She put the gun inside and returned it to the shelf, and then walked back into the kitchen.

"There might come a time, when I have to defend myself and the kids. You know that from personal experience. And maybe if I had known how before, Jerry wouldn't have been able to take me so easily. So, I have no problem being Kungfu Barbie if that is what I need to be."

Michael realized how silly that sounded and smiled. They both started laughing.

"Our first fight."

She smiled and walked over to him. "Be honest, how hot did I look?"

He smiled back, "I'll let you know when we have our first makeup sex later."

She kissed him deeply and then they got interrupted.

"Boss, we need you in the control center."

"Be right there."

Michael moved her hair off of her face and kissed her one more time. "Hold that thought."

Michael went out to the little house that they had turned into a security monitoring room. The guys didn't hear him come up behind them and they were watching Liz take the guy down on the monitors. Michael watched as she took the guy to the ground and then put the gun to his head.

"That was so totally hot." One of the crew said.

The others agreed and they re-winded it. Johnny was laughing at them when he turned and saw Michael.

They all shut up and waited for him to speak.

"I'm glad you're entertained by the fact that my girlfriend had to stop an intruder because you guys had your head up your asses. What the fuck?"

"Sorry boss. We were out trying to put up new cameras around the perimeter."

"From now on at least one person needs to be sitting at that desk watching the monitors. I have kids sleeping in the house for God's sake. Now what did you find out?"

They explained what the guy was trying to do, and that they had removed the devices that he had planted on the house. They had moved him to another building and were breaking him down to get more information.

Michael nodded. "Johnny, I'd like to speak to you."

Johnny followed Michael back into the house and they went into his office and shut the door.

"You want to tell me how all of a sudden Elizabeth knows how to shoot a gun and take down people?"

Johnny sat down across from him. "When Tomas was coming on to her, she asked me to help get her shooting and self defense lessons. I thought it was probably smart. She asked me not to tell you, because she wanted to surprise you."

"She surprised me all right."

"Michael, I'm sorry. She asked me at the hospital. And I thought it was probably a good idea."

Michael really wasn't feeling Johnny because this was the 2nd Liz related lie he had told him.

"What is going on with you and Kristina?"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "First of all Michael, you don't get to ask me about my personal life."

"I do when it involves my sister."

"Uh, no you don't. She is old enough to make her own decisions. And second, right now there is nothing going on."

"Kristina is little raw right now. I think she might have a little crush on you. Do not encourage her unless you are serious about being in a relationship right now. She doesn't need any emotional turmoil after everything she's been through."

Johnny sat back. So, he wasn't trying to stop him from being with Kristina. He was surprised by that.

"Just keep me informed on what that asshole was doing on my property."

Johnny got up and walked out of the room. He ran straight into Liz.

"Hey."

"He didn't yell at you too much, did he?"

"It's alright. I think he gets it. He was just startled."

She laughed. "He called me Kungfu Barbie."

Johnny started laughing, "That's priceless. I'm gonna start calling you that."

She punched him in the arm.

"Ouch." He said pretending to be in pain. "Listen, I'm really proud of you today. I just watched the tape and you were really badass."

Liz smiled at him. "It was kind of exciting."

Cameron came running around the corner. "Heah little man." Johnny said scooping him up.

Cameron laughed as Johnny turned him upside down.

"I'm going to the store to pick up some sodas for the guys. Can he come with me?"

Liz smiled. "Sure. Take my car."

Cameron squealed with delight as Johnny carried him through the front door. He put him in the booster seat in the car and took off.

She went back in the house and walked towards Michael's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in."

She stepped inside and shut the door and locked it. She took off her shirt and pants and walked towards him.

"Kungfu Barbie, whatever are you doing?"

Liz pushed some papers aside and hopped up on the desk. "If you don't know what I'm doing, then we have a big problem."

Michael grinned and stood up and started kissing her. He unsnapped her bra and started teasing and sucking on her nipples. He slid her underwear off and pulled her into him. She kissed him passionately as she undid his pants and pushed down his underwear. Michael was more than ready and quickly entered her as Liz finally lay back on the desk as Michael pounded her furiously. Finally, Michael released himself and pulled her back up so he could kiss her.

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it."

They got dressed and Liz helped him fix his desk. "I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to concentrate in here again."

She smiled. "My work is done then. I'm going to go check on Aidan."

"Where's Cameron?"

"With Johnny, they went to the store."

Michael watched her walk out the door. He pulled open his top drawer and took out the ring box. He opened it and looked at the beautiful 4 carat princess cut diamond inside. He smiled and put it back in. He couldn't wait to marry her.

He picked up the phone. "Mom, we need to talk. I'm coming over there."

Carly hung up the phone. Suddenly, she felt a little nervous.


	18. Chapter 18 - Family

**A/N - Welcome new followers. Thanks for the review! Hope everyone is enjoying the story!**

Chapter 18 - Family

Carly watched Michael walk off the elevator. She noted how much older and confident he looked and smiled. He caught her eye and smiled back.

"Hey mom." He said embracing her.

"I was surprised to hear from you."

Michael followed her into the back. She motioned for him to sit down.

"I don't know how to tell you this."

Carly felt her heart drop. Michael saw her expression and just blurted it out.

"I'm going to ask Liz to marry me."

Carly sat back and said nothing. She still didn't care for Liz and she was hoping that the relationship would have imploded by now.

"I see."

Michael fidgeted nervously. "Mom, I love Liz. She makes me really happy. I wish you could just see her how I see her."

"Does your father know?"

"No, I haven't told him yet. But, I don't think he'll care."

"Well," She said throwing down a pen. "I guess I'm out numbered."

Michael reached out and to hold her hand. "I'm not doing this to hurt you mom. I'm doing this because I can't imagine being with any other woman. She is the one for me."

Carly saw the deep love in Michael's eyes. She sighed and tried to smile. "Ok. If she makes you happy…. You never listen to me anyway."

Michael smiled and hugged her. "I have to go. I have some business to take care of."

Carly waited about 5 minutes after he left and then grabbed her keys. She was on a mission.

Liz was sitting on the couch as the door opened.

"Liz, Carly is here to see you."

Liz whipped her head around as Carly sauntered into the room.

"Hello Liz." Carly said walking in and plopping into the chair across from her.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Maybe."

"Did Michael tell you what happened?"

Carly looked at her confused. "What happened?"

Liz bit her lip. "Oh nothing, we just had an intruder."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No, I took him down before he could do anything."

Carly laughed loudly. "You took him down?"

Liz threw her a look. "Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

Carly smirked. "Uh, yea."

Liz rolled her eyes.

"You're not exactly known for being overly aggressive."

"Well maybe someday, I'll get a chance to show you my moves."

Carly almost recoiled at the attitude emanating from Liz. "Wow, maybe I under estimated you."

Carly was digging the feisty Liz.

"What exactly do you want Carly?"

Carly stood up and started walking out. "Nothing. We're good."

Up until now, Carly didn't think Liz had what it took to be a mob wife.

Liz watched her walk out the door. She wasn't sure what Carly was up to, but it sure felt good to stand up her.

Michael drove to the warehouse and walked to his office. Johnny wanted to meet him there and discuss some business. It must have been serious, cause Johnny was already sitting there waiting.

"What's up?"

"We need to discuss someone."

"If this is about Kristina…."

"No. It's not about her. We need to discuss Ric."

Michael rolled his eyes and sat back. That was the last name he wanted to hear.

"Did he do something?"

"No, but you know he wants to be a part of the organization."

"You can't seriously agree with that."

"Well, he could start a lot of trouble."

"Has he threatened to do that?"

Johnny made a face. "Kind of."

Michael hated Ric. He wanted nothing to do with him and felt he was dangerous.

"Look Michael, we can either ignore him which will make him do crazy things, or we can give him a job and we can keep an eye out for him."

"I don't see how either option is good. He's a power hungry asshole. There is no way he's going to be willing to listen to me."

Johnny nodded. "I get it. I really do. But, Ric is more dangerous left to his own devices."

"Exactly what were you thinking?"

"He can handle all the legalities of our business. That way, we can control his involvement."

"I'm not sure if that is a good idea. It will give him too much ammo."

"Fine, then what do you have in mind?"

"Maybe we can let him negotiate a few deals. He's a lawyer so he can read the contracts. We can start from there."

"If you want me to handle it…."

"No. I'll handle it. Have him meet me at 9 tonight in my home office."

Johnny shrugged. "Alright, I'll set it up."

Michael had just left Cameron's room when he got a text from Milo. Ric was here. Michael headed downstairs.

Elizabeth walked out of the kitchen into the living room. She was getting Cameron a glass of water.

"Ric, what are you doing here?"

"Relax, I'm invited. How are the boys?"

"They're good; growing like weeds."

Ric smiled at her. He wished the boys were his.

"Glad to hear that."

"Have you seen Molly?"

"Yes. I had lunch with her today. She's certainly turning into a beautiful and smart young lady."

Michael walked down the steps unnoticed. He noted Liz's demeanor as well as Ric's. He really didn't trust that snake around her.

"Hello Ric."

"Hello Michael."

Liz noted the tension and walked past them.

"It was nice seeing you." Ric called out.

Liz smiled politely and kept walking.

"Follow me."

Ric followed Michael into the office.

"So, what did I do to be summoned to your compound?"

"I want to talk about your contribution to my organization."

Ric's curiosity was peaked. "Wow, I didn't see this coming."

"I'm going to be very honest with you. I don't trust you. I think you are a bitter, petty little man who does really stupid things when he doesn't get his way."

"Tell me how you really feel."

"Your loyalty is questionable and you have a chip on your shoulder bigger than your ego. I also question your mental stability, but that's just the icing on the cake."

"Wow, are you here so you can put me on a 5150 or something, cause I won't be going quietly." Ric said smirking.

"Funny. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot….not literally of course."

"Besides being the boss, where do you see yourself in this organization?"

Ric dropped his smirk and got really serious. "Michael, I'm smart, I know what needs to be done, and I'm a damn good attorney. I can be professional when I need to be and I can be equally as ruthless. I get why you don't trust me, really I do. But.."

Ric hesitated.

"Say what's on your mind."

"I'm not going to lie, Sonny and I had some serious issues. And my obsession with getting him back almost ruined me. I'd like to think that I'm a better person now."

"Now that he's dead you mean?"

"No Michael. I did some pretty horrible things. And I still can be an asshole as you so eloquently put it, but deep down I just want to be accepted and be around family just like most people. I have been an outsider all of my life. I just want a chance to prove to you that I can do this."

Michael stared at him for a few minutes. It was a nice speech, but Michael wasn't stupid. But, he thought maybe if Ric thought he was, he could use it to his advantage should the need arise.

"Johnny and I have discussed a possible position for you. It's probably not what you want, but it's a start."

"What is it?"

"Johnny needs his laundry done every Tuesday."

Ric stared at him. "Are you talking real laundry here?"

Michael grinned. "Lighten up Ric. I'm kidding."

"Really?"

"We have some deals going down in the next few weeks. I'll need some contracts and someone to negotiate the best terms. We also have some construction on the East side and I need someone to oversee it. What do you say?"

Ric smiled and held out his hand. "I'm in."

"Johnny will give you some of the details tomorrow."

Michael shook his hand and watched Ric go out the door.

Ric was grinning from ear to ear. He thought he had snowed Michael, but Michael was one step ahead of him.


	19. Chapter 19 – Questions

A/N - Thanks for the review!

Chapter 19 – Questions

_Fast forwarding to next night_

Kristina knocked on Michael's door. It was so weird being back to the house and knowing that her father wouldn't be there. She took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself.

Milo answered the door.

"Hey Kristina."

"Hi Milo. How's it going?"

"It's good. You're looking great."

Kristina smiled and walked past him. She looked around the room. Liz had brightened it up a bit and it actually looked lived in. There were some toys here and there and even the energy felt different. She relaxed a little bit as Liz came walking down the stairs.

"Hi there."

"Hi Liz. Where are the boys?"

"We changed one of the bedrooms into a play room. So, they are in there playing."

"It looks great in here."

Liz stopped and realized it must be really hard for Kristina to be here.

"I like it too. Felix, one of my co-workers, re-decorated for me."

Kristina nodded.

"Are you okay in here?"

"Yes. I admit it's a little weird but I'll be okay."

"I hope you know that if you ever need to talk, I'm a good listener, and I would never judge. And if it needs to stay confidential, my lips would be sealed."

"I really appreciate that. I might take you up on that."

The boys came running down the stairs.

"Look who's here."

"Kristina" The boys yelled. "Will you come play with us?"

Kristina laughed. "Yes, are we going to play tea party?"

The boys stopped and looked at her. Cameron pretended to gag and pass out and Aiden tried to do the same. Liz and Kristina busted out laughing as Michael came out of his office.

"What is going on out here?"

"Nothing" The boys chimed getting up and running up the stairs.

"Hey sis." Michael said hugging Kristina.

"Well, you two go have fun. I have a date with two really cute guys upstairs."

Michael watched her walk away. He couldn't help but smile that Kristina seemed to be doing well again.

"Let's go."

Johnny walked into Michael's house. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he wanted to see Kristina.

"Where are they?"

"Upstairs in the play room."

"Thanks Milo."

Johnny walked upstairs. He hurt them giggling in the room. He walked inside and put his finger to his mouth. The boys could see him but Kristina couldn't. They giggled as he grabbed Kristina. She let out a squeal before laughing when she realized it was him.

"You scared me to death."

"I couldn't resist it."

They played with the boy until it was time for them to go to bed.

"Can Milo come and read us a story?"

"Sure, I'll go get him for you." Johnny said walking out of the room.

He sent Milo upstairs and stayed down in the living room. He was thinking that maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea.

Kristina and Milo came back downstairs and Kristina plopped down on the couch next to Johnny.

"I'm surprised to see you tonight, but glad you came."

Johnny smiled. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm good, one day at a time you know?"

He nodded.

"I want to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"I know I mentioned before that I wanted to be involved in the business. I'm going to talk to Michael about it, but I just want to know how you feel about that."

Johnny was silent for a minute. "I don't know. Do you really think that with everything going on you need that added pressure?"

"I don't see how it's added pressure. I actually think I'd be damn good and it would give me some kind of purpose."

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"I was hoping that you'd have my back."

Johnny sighed and got up. "I don't know. It's dangerous and…"

"You don't think I can handle myself?"

Johnny had to smile at that. Kristina was pretty tough. "Maybe I just don't want you to be in the line of fire."

She got up and stood in front of him and studied his face. She always was crazy for him. He was the reason she left in the first place. He thought she was too young. But, she knew he cared about her. Things had changed; years had passed.

"I would never take on more than I can handle. I'm not stupid or self-destructive anymore. There will be no tantrums or disrespect. I got a do-over, and I'm not ruining that for anything."

Johnny stared back down at her. He saw the fire in her eyes and knew there was probably no stopping her.

"Ok."

She was surprised she had won him over so quickly. She smiled and bounced back to the couch.

"Do you even know how to shoot a gun?"

Kristina rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised what I know how to do."

Johnny smirked. "We're going to the range tomorrow, so I can see what you got."

"Done."

"So, were you seeing anyone while I was gone?"

The questions totally took him off guard. "Not really. I had a crush on someone, but they're taken."

"And you?"

"No, I dated some but no one really special."

She flicked on the tv. "Let's watch a movie."

"As long as it's not a girl flick."

"Please, don't pretend you don't like girl flicks. But, I'm feeling down for a foreign movie anyway."

Johnny jerked his head around.

Kristina laughed. "Relax." She said flipping through channels. "I love this one." She said stopping at 'Fifth Element".

Johnny sunk back into the couch. He to admit, he liked the new Kristina.

Michael and Liz walked into the restaurant where they had their first date. The waitress led them into a corner table. Michael had already pre-ordered so they got some wine and chit chatted.

"We haven't been here in so long."

Michael smiled. "I know. I have very fond memories of this place."

Liz smiled. She'd never forget their garden hookup.

"It was good to see that Kristina seems to be doing well."

"Yes. I'm really proud of her."

"I wanted to ask if you would go to parent/teacher conferences with me next week for Cameron."

Michael put down his glass and smiled at her. "You don't know how good that makes me feel."

"He looks up to Michael and you're a big part of their lives."

Michael loved the boys as if they were his own. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Would you be opposed to have another kid somewhere down the line?"

Liz hadn't really thought about that. Her life was so centered around the boys that it just never entered her mind.

"I don't know. I never thought about it. The boys are kind of a handful right now, but I guess I wouldn't be totally opposed to it."

He smiled.

"Do you have plans to knock me up or something?" She said smiling.

"I was just curious. "

The waitress brought their food and they ate quietly.

"I didn't freak you out did I?"

She laughed. "No. It was a pretty serious question but I love you Michael. It makes me happy that you're thinking of a future with me."

You have no idea, he thought to himself.

The waitress brought dessert.

"This is so good."

Michael kind of got this funny look in his eyes.

"What's wrong, do I have something on my face?"

He smiled. "No. I was just thinking."

"What?"

Michael took a deep breath. "I don't think you really get how much a love and adore you. I love the boys. I love our life together. So many people don't get us. But, what everyone thinks really doesn't matter to me because you get me. You have inspired me to become a better person. We belong together and I can't ever imagine not being with you. You still take my breath away every day. I will never get tired of kissing your lips or making love to you. I want to grow old with you Elizabeth."

Elizabeth had put down her fork and was holding her breath.

"Michael." She said letting it out.

He stood up and then kneeled in front of her.

"Elizabeth Imogene Webber, would you do me the honors of becoming my beautiful wife?"

Liz gasped. A few people in the surrounding tables saw Michael get down on one knee so the place was abuzz.

"Michael, I love you so very much. Thank you for saying all those beautiful things. I would be honored to be your wife. Yes."

Michael opened the ring box as Liz gasped. He put the ring on her finger and she leaned over and kissed him deeply. The rest of the patrons clapped as they pulled back from each other beaming. Someone sent over a glass of champagne and Michael made a toast.

"To us. May we always be happy and lean on each other, here's to love."

They clinked glasses and took a sip of the champagne. Liz couldn't help but smile.


	20. Chapter 20 – Connections

**A/N - Please review if you have the time. Thanks!**

Chapter 20 – Connections

Michael and Liz came home to find Johnny & Kristina crashed on the couch. They left them there and headed up to their room.

"So, do you have a problem with them two being together?"

Michael sighed. "I don't know. I just don't want another train wreck with Kristina. I really like Johnny, but Kristina is a lot to handle."

"I hear you, but no one thought we should be together either." She said grinning slyly.

Michael laughed. "That is true. If Kristina is half as happy as I am right now, then I would be all for it."

He walked up to her and touched the side of her face. "God you're so beautiful. I can't wait to make you my wife."

Liz blushed as Michael's lips came crashing down on hers. He swept her up into his arms and laid her gently on the bed. He kissed her passionately as they both tried to say everything they felt with a kiss.

"I love you." She said unbuttoning his shirt.

Michael wiggled out of his suit jacket and shirt and then pulled Liz up and into him. He unzipped her dress as she shimmied out of it and then removed the rest of their clothing.

They crashed back down on the bed as they felt each other's bodies and grinded against each other. They pleasured each other as both of their bodies shuddered and tingled. And when Michael finally entered Liz, she gasped at how good he felt inside of her. They both got lost in the rhythmic movement of their bodies until they called gave in to their orgasms.

"I could do that for a lifetime and more." Michael said smiling down at her as his finger traced one of her nipples.

She shuddered at the contact. "Watch it or you'll start something you can't finish right now."

Michael smirked at her. "Who says I couldn't?"

She giggled, kissing him hard on lips and then pushed herself on top of him. She kissed and grinded against him until he was ready, lowering herself onto him. They moved together until Michael couldn't take it anymore and re-positioned them so he was behind her. He continued to make love to her until he finally released himself. They both collapsed on the bed and snuggled into each other.

Johnny felt Kristina stir and realized they had fallen asleep. The lights were off, so he knew that Liz & Michael were home. She was nestled comfortable on him and he noted how good it felt to be this close to her.

Kristina opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep on Johnny. She wanted to stay there longer, but her arm had fallen asleep and she had to move. She sat up and tried to shake it out.

"You okay?"

She smiled. "Yes. My arm fell asleep."

"It looks like they are back. Can I drive you home?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

Kristina grabbed her purse and they headed to the car. They got in and after Johnny started driving. Kristina intertwined her fingers within his, and they held hands the rest of the way.

He walked her to her apartment.

"Do you want to come in?"

He smiled. "I better not."

"Why not?"

"You know why."

He bent over and lightly kissed her on the lips and then walked away, leaving her standing in the doorway. She touched her fingers to her mouth relishing the lingering feeling of his lips upon hers. For Kristina, the kiss represented hope. She smiled and closed the door.

The next day Kristina showed up at Michael's office while he and Johnny were in a meeting. When they were finished, she walked in so she could talk to Michael about working for him.

"Hey bro."

"Hi. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course. I just had a proposition for you."

Michael looked surprised. "What is it?"

"I want to work for you."

"Doing what exactly?"

"I want to do some collections for one of your territories."

Michael sat back in his chair. He hadn't seen that one coming.

"I don't know Kristina. I don't think that would be best for you right now."

"There is no best time Michael. I'm doing fine and have been stable."

"But why work here?"

"Michael, you and I both know that my personality and strength are well suited for this business. It should be run by family. I want to be a part of dad's legacy. I'm not going to do anything stupid or be disrespectful."

Michael didn't answer her right away.

"If I may add to this, I could take her under my wing and oversee everything until she gets the hang of it."

Michael was surprised that Johnny had interjected in Kristina's favor.

"Kristina, can you wait outside in the office for a minute?"

She normally would have objected to this but she respectfully left.

"What are you thinking?"

"Kristina is good at whatever she puts her mind too. She tough, she's smart, and she is determined to do this. She's not going to let it go. At least I could watch over her and make sure she stays out of trouble."

Michael shook his head and stood up. He paced for a minute and then looked over at Johnny. "She's your responsibility, if she gets screwed up because of any of it, I will hold you personally responsible."

Johnny nodded. He got up and let Kristina back in.

"So, have you decided?"

"I will allow this but Johnny will be your shadow when you're out collecting. If you get even remotely close to wanting to give in to your cravings, you have to agree to be honest about that. Is that clear?"

Kristina nodded and ran over and hugged Michael.

She had tears in her eyes as she said, "Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. You won't regret it!"

She left feeling better than she had in months.


	21. Chapter 21 – Life goes on

**A/N Please leave reviews if you can. It's nice to know if you're feeling the story or not.**

Chapter 21 – Life goes on

Johnny and Kristina drove to a dive bar on the outskirts of town. It was Kristina's first time collecting.

Kristina walked into the bar sucking on a lollipop. She walked up to the counter.

"Where's Larry?"

The man nodded to the door to her right. Kristina opened it and walked down the hallway to a room.

There were several men in there and they all stopped the minute she walked in.

"Hello boys." She said turning towards Larry. "I need to speak with you."

"Is there a problem?"

"There will be if you don't get off your ass and follow me into your office."

Everyone made a noise and some of them started laughing. Larry stood up, towering over Kristina.

Johnny watched quietly from the door.

"Michael's sending his little sister to do his dirty work now?"

All the men started laughing.

"Michael doesn't have time for a piece of shit like you."

The men all made a noise.

"Look, I don't have the money. So, why don't you just turn around and go back to rehab or something."

Kristina didn't even stir. She moved in closer, brought her knee up to his crouch and her heel right into his foot breaking his toe. The man yelled as the pain ripped through his body and crumbled to the floor.

"I'll be back tomorrow, if you don't have the money, that head is not the only one that will be hurting."

Johnny stepped back and opened the door for her as she sauntered past him.

They both got back into the car.

"Well, nice work in there."

"Why thank you."

"You sure this is the kind of work you want to do?"

Kristina smiled. "In case you didn't notice, I kind of like bustin' balls. I think this is right up my alley."

Michael drove to Cameron's school. For some reason, the principle wanted to see him. He had asked that he'd come alone, so Michael complied.

"Mr. Corinthos." Principal Munson said pointing to a chair.

The principal stared at him for a moment. He didn't look like a dangerous man.

"I'm sorry to bother you right now, but Cameron's teacher was informed that you wanted to attend parent/teacher conferences next week."

"Yes, I do. I love Cameron like he's my own. I help him with his homework. I want to be there."

The Principal looked down for a moment.

"I'm just going to be upfront with you."

"Please do."

"I spoke with the school board. I'm concerned about you being around the kids and their parents. Your life is extremely dangerous. You have guards that carry weapons, and what happens if someone goes after you while you're on school premises? At this point, you are not even legally tied to the child."

Michael was shocked. "I really don't think anyone is going to attack me and take out a bunch of children in the process. We're not Barbarians."

"But, you do understand that it is my job to protect the children in this school from anything that can be perceived as harm."

"I understand but…"

"Mr. Corinthos, you chose the life you lead. The rest of these kids did not. I'm sure you are great with Cameron and I can tell you love him very much. It's really not about that. It's totally a safety issue."

"So, you're basically saying that if Cameron has a school play or a soccer game that I am not allowed to attend?"

"I know that sounds harsh, but yes, I guess that is what I am saying; within this school district, you are not welcomed."

Michael stood up and walked out of the door. He thought he was going to be sick.

Epiphany nudged Liz as she saw Michael walk towards him. Liz looked up at Michael smiling, but she did not receive one back. Michael looked really upset. Liz walked towards him and grabbed his hand. She led him to an open on call room.

"What's going on?"

Michael told her what happen and Liz was appalled.

"I can't believe he'd say something like that to you. You haven't done anything."

"Well, he does have a point. It just crushes me that I won't be able to be there for him."

Liz thought for a moment. "Well, we can try changing schools. We can look into a private one."

"But Cameron loves all of his friends."

"Kids are very resilient."

"I just never thought about this aspect. He didn't seem like he really wanted to compromise either. From what I can tell, I have no recourse."

"Michael, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, so am I."

Liz watched him walk out of the room. This was not how she saw her day going.

Liz was leaving the hospital when she got a text from Kristina.

"Hey, I need to talk. Can you stop by?"

She texted back that she'd stop by on her way home. She called the nanny and told her that she'd be a bit late.

"Liz, come in."

Liz walked into Kristina's apartment.

"What's going on?"

"This is between you and me right?"

Liz was a bit worried. "Sure."

"Okay. I need to talk to you about Johnny."

Liz smiled. "What's going on?"

"I'm so crazy about him, but I'm just not sure how to approach it. I'm sure he's in to me, but I'm starting to get impatient."

"I think he's worried about you. He doesn't want to do anything that will put you in a bad place."

"I get that. But, I'm fine. Even if we got together and it didn't work, at least we tried. I've wanted to be with him for a long time."

"Kristina, that relationship was also forbidden by your dad and you carry around a lot of guilt about Sonny."

"I know I do, but this is about being rebellious any more. Johnny is my heart."

Liz looked down and smiled. "Well, God knows that nobody supported me being with Michael right away."

"Including me"

They laughed. "Yes, you gave me your two cents. But, he's your brother and you love him. I didn't take it personally."

"If it's any consolation, I think you guys are great together."

"Thanks. I like Johnny a lot. I think he would be good for you actually. But, I don't want you to rush it."

Kristina gave her a look.

"Yes, I know I rushed it with your brother. But, I'm just telling you, give Johnny some space to feel comfortable about courting you. I think that once he knows you're definitely in a good place, he'll go for it."

"I hear you. Being patient really isn't my strong suit. But, I'll try."

"Kristina, feeling really good about yourself and your life is priceless. Falling in love on top of that is an added bonus. Enjoy how you're feeling right now. Everything is coming together for you."

Kristina smiled. "I do feel really good right now. I know you have to get back to the boys. Thanks for coming by."

They hugged and Liz left. Kristina had a big smile on her face. She had a therapy session in a half hour, so she headed out the door. Life was good.


	22. Chapter 22 – The Ex

A/N Thanks for the review Just Curious. I get your Kristina comment. I actually had a love/hate opinion of her on the show. I think she's trying to find her way right now. She's been "hard" for a long time so I thought it would be interesting to see the light/dark with her. At the core of her is this vunerable person that she doesn't really show a lot of. Unfortunately for you, this is a Kristina centric chapter lol. But, will have more Michael/Liz the next one.

Chapter 22 – The Ex

The next day, Kristina drove to the park to wait for Liz and the kids. She was sitting on a swing set just thinking about life.

"Hello."

She froze at the sound of his voice and jumped up.

"Carlos."

He smiled at her. "I heard you were back."

"What business is that of yours?"

Carlos took a step towards her so Kristina took a step backwards.

"So it's like that now?"

She could see his jaw clench. "Yes, it is. I suggest you leave before there's trouble."

He smirked at her. "You're the best trouble that I know."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not on the market."

"Kristina, can we go somewhere and talk?"

"No, she can't."

The sound of Johnny's voice made her jump. She turned her head and was relieved to see him walking towards her.

Carlos took another step back as Johnny walked up to Kristina and put his arm around her.

"I don't want any trouble."

John grinned. "Sure you do, otherwise you wouldn't be hitting on my girl."

Carlos raised his eyebrows and looked at Kristina who had cuddled into Johnny and was smiling at him.

"Should I be offended that you found someone new so fast?"

"Maybe"

He shook his head. Even when she was bitch, she was all kinds of beautiful.

"Well, I hope you're happy." He said turning to leave.

Johnny walked Kristina the opposite way. Two guards fell in line behind them to make sure Carlos didn't get any ideas.

They had walked a short way and Kristina stopped them.

"Were you following me?"

He smiled. "Actually, I had a few guys come over to the park before Liz got here to just check it out. They spotted Carlos in the parking lot and called me. I wasn't that far away."

"My hero"

"Don't be a smartass."

"I wasn't being one."

He stared at her for a minute.

"Would you have gone with him if he hadn't of walked up?"

She stared back him. "Does it look like I want anyone else but you?"

He tried not to smile. "I tell you what, we both need to eat, why don't we have dinner tonight?"

She smiled. "Sounds nice."

"I'll pick you up at 6."

She smiled and looked up. Liz and the boys had arrived and the kids were running towards them. Johnny swung Cameron up over his head and Aiden jumped into Kristina's arm. They played for a few minutes and Johnny had to leave. He watched her play with the kids for a few more minutes from the car, and then he took off.

Carlos had watched them from the car. He really wasn't happy that Kristina was with Johnny. He had hoped that somehow he could convince her to come back with him. He had missed her and felt bad about what had gone down between them. He started thinking that maybe if he got rid of Johnny, he could get her back.

That evening, Kristina got ready for her date. She put on a little black dress and some heels. She put some loose curls in her hair and had started to put on some makeup. She heard a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock. It was only 5:30.

She flung open the door and it was Carlos.

"What are you doing here?"

"Relax." he said pushing his way in.

"You need to leave before Johnny gets here."

He gave her a look. "You were serious about that?"

"Of course I was. Look Carlos, I'm with Johnny. We were over when you hit me."

Carlos flinched. "I didn't mean to do that. It was the drugs."

"Well I don't do drugs anymore."

"You sure about that?" He said pulling out a vial.

Kristina froze. She stared at it and then looked back at him. "I can't believe you'd show up here and shove drugs into my face. Are you crazy?"

"You know you want it." He opened it.

"Get that shit out of my face." She yelled.

Johnny walked up to her door. He could hear her yell so he threw down the flowers he was carrying and pulled out his gun.

Kristina was furious. "You need to leave right now."

"But baby." He said grabbing her arm.

Johnny threw the door open and trained his gun on Carlos.

Carlos let go of Kristina and backed up.

"I swear to you, if you come near her again, I will blow your mother fucking head off. Do I make myself clear?"

Carlos slowly backed away from Kristina and then walked out of the door.

The door slammed and Johnny put the gun away. Kristina's back was towards him and she was shaking.

"Kristina."

"Get that away from me." She said pointing to the vial on the table.

Johnny grabbed it and went into the bathroom. He dumped it out into the toilet and flushed it. He rinsed out the vial and wiped it off and threw it away.

He walked back out of the bathroom and saw her sitting on the couch.

"It's gone."

"Thank you."

He sat down next to her. "You want to talk about it?"

"I haven't come across drugs since I've been out of rehab. And when I saw it, I felt like I wanted it and it scared me."

He put his arm around her and pulled her into him.

"But you didn't take it. I'm really proud of you."

"Some first date."

Johnny laughed. "You look really hot if that is any consolation."

She laughed. "Thanks."

"You still want to go eat?"

She looked up at him. "Sounds good."

"Let's get out of here then."

He got up and opened the door. "Let's try this again." He shut it behind him and picked up the flowers. He knocked on the door.

Kristina opened. "Johnny?" She said smiling.

He handed her the flowers and walked in.

"Better?"

"Much better."

She grabbed her purse and they walked to the elevator. She was feeling better already.


	23. Chapter 23 – Old Flame

Chapter 23 – Old Flame

Liz sat on the couch as Michael paced back and forth.

"You want to talk about it?"

Michael stopped and walked over to her. He knelt in front of her on the floor.

"I want to set a date. I want to get married soon."

Liz was kind of speechless. "What brought this on? Is it the whole Cameron situation?"

Michael got up and sat next to her. "To a degree. I was also thinking that if God forbid anything happened to you or the kids, I would have no rights and that scared me."

Liz nodded. "I understand. Michael, I love you very much and I've really loved our time together."

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?"

Liz smiled. "No, nothing like that. Are you sure I'm what you want? I'm older than you and there's the kids…."

Michael grabbed her pulled her into his lap. "I don't want you to ever ask me that again. I love you with every fiber of my being. I know I'm younger but I consider myself wiser because of you. I can't even imagine a life with you at this point. When I asked you to marry me, I meant it."

Liz had tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

He grabbed her chin to make her look at him and swallowed hard. "Are you sure you want me?"

"Michael, I love you so much that it almost hurts. The way you love the boys and me is beyond special. You are my heart."

Michael smiled and kissed her. He loved the feeling of her lips upon his. He moaned as the kiss got deeper and deeper. He pulled her shirt and bra off and started kissing her neck and feeling her breasts. He scooped her up and they headed up the stairs. He got lost in a kiss and sat down as Liz sucked on his bottom lips and tongue. She pulled off his shirt and then jumped off of him and ran up the steps as Michael turned and ran after her. She had almost made it to the bed when he came up from behind her and they both landed face first onto the bed. Michael kissed the back of her neck and made little tongue kisses all over her back. He reached under her and undid her jeans, and then ripped them off. He pulled off her underwear and then quickly took off the rest of his clothes. He climbed back on top of her and started kissing her back again. He grinded into her and then flipped her over. They kissed and pressed their bodies into each other. Michael made love to her; slowly ravishing her body until Liz was quivering underneath him.

"Michael." She said breathlessly. "I love you."

He smiled and pulled her into his arms. "We kind of changed the subject, but I do want to try and set a date."

She smiled and kissed him. "Okay."

He deepened the kiss and then pulled her into his arms and they both fell asleep.

Liz had the house to herself in the morning. She heard a knock on the door and opened it.

"Oh my God. Lucky?"

Lucky walked into the house. "I heard that you were shacking up with Michael. I just had to see it to believe it."

Liz closed the door. "If you came here to give me some kind of lecture…"

"Michael Corinthos? Really? I mean wasn't Jason bad enough? Now, you're screwing a kid who happens to be a mob boss."

Liz smacked Lucky across the face. "I think you need to leave."

"Not before I see my sons."

"Oh suddenly you care about them?"

"I've always cared about them."

"You have a really funny way of showing it."

Milo watched them on the monitor in the back house. He called Michael. "I think you better go home. Liz has a visitor and they are getting into it."

"On my way." Michael said rushing out of the warehouse and headed home.

"I left because I was broken and I needed to get my sobriety under control."

"You were also avoiding me."

Lucky stared at her for a moment. "Why Michael?"

"Because he loves me and the boys more than anything. It's so easy with him. He doesn't judge me. We are partners."

Lucky smirked. "I'm sure you are."

Liz ignored him. "Besides voicing your distaste with my fiancé, why else are you here?"

"I want to see the boys."

"I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive about that. If you're just going to come here and leave, I don't know if Cameron's heart can take it."

"Does Aidan think Michael is his father?"

"No. I show Aidan a picture of you every day. It's on his dresser. He says a prayer for you every night. I would never pretend that you don't exist."

Lucky looked at her for a moment. She was still beautiful. There had been so much bad blood between them.

"I'm going to hang around for a while. I want to make sure my sons are safe."

"Of course they are safe."

"You're living with a mobster." Lucky yelled.

Michael walked through the door and was shocked to see Lucky.

"Don't yell at her like that. What is your problem?"

Lucky stepped up to Michael. "You."

Michael stared at him until Lucky backed away.

"You walked out on your kids and then you think you can just stroll in here like nothing happened and criticize her? Where was your concern the last few years?"

"Of course I cared. But, living with you is just asking for trouble. I will not let my kids get dragged down into this pit."

Michael took a step towards him. "You don't have a choice. You abandoned them."

"You don't get a say in this. You can't keep my children away from me."

It was all Michael could do not to deck Lucky. "I'm losing my patience with you Lucky. You need to leave. When you come into this house, you will respect her. Now, the boys are at school. If you want to visit them, then you need to call ahead of time to arrange it. And if you can't see that Liz is trying to protect them, then you're an idiot. Do you even realize that Cam started acting out after you left? You hurt him. "

"That is between me and my son."

Liz could tell that Michael was losing his patience so she stepped in between them. "Lucky, I need you to leave right now."

Lucky kepts his eyes trained on Michael. "Fine. I will be here at 7:00 to see the boys. From there, I'll get a lawyer and we will hash out my visitation rights."

"Fine."

Lucky walked out and Liz slammed the door and walked to the window.

"Asshole."

"You okay?"

"I'm scared that he is hell bent on taking the kids."

"He can't do that."

"I don't know."

Michael turned her around so she was looking at him. "If you have to leave here as a custody requirement, then we'll deal with it. But, I'm not letting you go over this."

She nodded and hugged him. She was scared. She knew Lucky wasn't going to give this up.


	24. Chapter 24 – Not so Lucky

**A/N - Thanks for the review!**

Chapter 24 – Not so Lucky

Lucky went to Alexis's office. He waited until she was finished with a client and then he walked in.

"Lucky?"

She was shocked to see him.

"Hi Alexis, I need some help."

"What's going on?"

"I want to fight for custody of my sons."

Alexis sat back and looked at him for a moment. "You do realize you've been gone for 2 years and have had no contact with the boys, right?"

He was frustrated. "I am their father and I deserve to see my children."

"Lucky, it's not about deserving anything. I can't imagine any judge that would be willing to just give you custody of the kids after you abandoned them."

Lucky put his head in his hands. "I left because I need to get myself together."

"But, after you did that, you didn't come back for them."

"I just didn't want to face them and honestly, I was avoiding Liz."

Alexis took a deep breath. "Lucky, you should have fought for them. That is what they deserved."

"Are you going to sit her judge me for my mistakes or help me?" He cried out in desperation.

"I didn't say I wouldn't try and help you. I just think it would be smarter if you tried to work out some sort of visitation schedule with Liz."

"Do you see where they are living now? You know how that felt. How many times did you fight Sonny for Kristina?"

Alexis sighed. "And it did no good. It screwed up Kristina and her life was a mess because of it. When we tried to get along, things went a lot smoother. I'm not saying I ever condoned Sonny's lifestyle, but it was a different situation because he was her father. Liz is not Sonny."

Lucky just couldn't hear whatever she was saying. He was so upset at Liz. "I don't want them living with Michael. They aren't even married."

"That actually might work to your advantage."

Lucky listened intently.

"Let me think about a plan of attack and draw up some papers. But Lucky, you need to understand that once you start this, there's no going back. You might be able to drop it later, but the damage will already be done."

"Do what you have to."

Lucky got up and left.

Alexis got her purse and keys and headed out.

* * *

Michael sat on the couch discussing Lucky with Liz. There was a knock on the door.

"Alexis Davis to see you."

Michael was surprised. "Alexis?"

"Hi Michael, Liz…. I can't discuss any of the details, but out of courtesy, I just want you to know that Lucky is hell bent on getting custody. He came to me and I am representing him."

Michael looked up at her. He wished that Alexis hadn't of gone there, but he also appreciated the warning.

"Thanks for the warning."

She noticed Liz had a ring on. "When did you two get engaged?"

"Recently."

She walked over to Liz and grabbed her hand. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Well, I have to be going. Take care."

She walked out and Michael grabbed his phone. "Johnny, get Diane over here. I don't care if you have to kidnap her."

* * *

Johnny had found Diane at a book signing in New York, so he sent someone to get her.

* * *

Lucky showed up at the house on time. Liz had tried to prepare the boys.

He walked in. He looked around and didn't see Michael. Liz came from around the corner.

"Lucky."

"Hi, are they ready?"

"Yes. They are washing their hands. They should be out any minute."

"I'd like some alone time with them."

"Of course, I'll go upstairs. Take as long as you want."

"Why are you being so nice?"

"Lucky, I might not like you that much right now, but the boys don't deserve to see us fighting. I'm not willing to expose them to that."

The kids came running into the room. They both went over to Liz.

"Go see your daddy."

The boys didn't budge. Lucky stood there motionless. He saw the look in their eyes and it crushed him.

"It's okay, go ahead."

Cameron was the first to walk over towards Lucky.

Lucky got on his knees. "Hi Cam, I missed you."

"Where have you been?"

"I just got back from Africa. Do you know where that is?"

Cameron shook his head no.

"Do you have a globe."

"Yes."

"Can you show me?"

Cameron ran to the stairs and waited to see if Lucky would follow him.

"Aidan, come on." Cameron said waving.

Aidan looked at Lucky and smiled and then ran to Cam. Lucky followed them up the steps.

"Is it okay?"

Liz nodded yes. She watched them walk upstairs and wiped the tears from her eyes. She hated that Lucky had left the kids. She understood why he had left her. But even though she was mad at him, it still broke her heart to see his face when the kids wouldn't come near him.

About an hour later, he came down the stairs.

"They are brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed."

"Good. It is getting late."

"I know I screwed up. I really see that now. But, I want to try and make it up to them."

"No one is stopping you from doing that."

Lucky sat down across from her. "I know you think I'm doing this to hurt you…"

"Are you?"

"No. Do you remember all the times we tried to protect Jake from Jason? You understood that his life was dangerous and you wanted a better life for Jake."

"Lucky, in the end, it didn't make a difference. He still died and it had nothing to do with Jason." Liz said.

He could have kicked himself. He felt bad about bringing Jake's name up. "I'm sorry."

She nodded as she wiped tears away.

"I want to make sure the boys are safe."

"Michael does everything humanly possible to assure that. They are well protected here. And he even has guards near the school looking out for them."

"Sonny had those same provisions and the kids still ended up getting kidnapped."

Liz stared him. "You left me. You left the kids. You didn't call or write. And then you have the nerve to come into my house after 2 years and question my parenting." She stood up and walked up to him. "It's taking everything in me not to beat the crap out of you right now."

Lucky stood up. He was stunned at her attitude.

"It doesn't have to come to this Liz. You could move out."

"Even if I moved, I'm still going to be with Michael. It probably kills you that I'm happy. You'd rather me be some hot mess you had save; curled up into a ball pining over you. So, I'm going to set you straight right now, I'd rather die than ever be with you again. If you take my kids away from me, it will be the last thing you ever do."

Johnny had walked in and heard the last of the conversation.

"Is there a problem in here?"

Lucky stared at him and pushed past him.

Liz screamed. "My God I hate him right now."

Johnny went to her pulled her into his arms. "It's gonna be okay."


	25. Chapter 25 – Brother against Brother

**A/N – I feel your Lucky hate. But, he will serve a purpose. Thanks for the review.**

Chapter 25 – Brother against Brother

The next day, Lucky went over to Windemere to talk to Nikolas. He wanted to see if Nik was on his side. He thought about the whole situation on his way as the launch moved smoothly over the water. It was easy for him to rationalize his intentions because of the violence. He felt so twisted up and angry inside.

"Your brother is here to see you sir."

"Really? Send him in."

Lucky walked into the room.

"Lucky, I'm surprised to see you."

Lucky walked over to him and they shared an awkward hug.

"What can I do for you?"

Things had not really been the same between them since the Liz affair.

"I need to talk to you about Liz."

Nikolas took a swallow of his drink. He was not sure where this conversation was headed.

"Go ahead."

"I came back here because I found out that Liz was shacking up with Michael Corinthos."

Nik gave him a knowing look.

"Is that the only reason you came home?"

Lucky grinded his teeth and stared at Nikolas. He was hoping that he didn't have the nerve to bring up the kids. He ignored Nikolas's question.

"I'm really concerned about the kids."

"But not Liz."

"Liz and I are through. She can do whatever she wants to, but those kids are innocent bystanders."

"From what I've seen, Michael treats all of them very well and they seem really happy."

Lucky was fuming. He was trying hard not to go off on Nikolas.

"What is Michael, like 12?"

Nikolas chuckled.

"Sometimes, you can't put a number on love."

"How could you sit here and let her do this? Why didn't you try to stop her?"

Nikolas stood up and walked away from Lucky. He re-filled his drink as he spoke.

"I gave up Liz because I decided that keeping peace in the family was more important that my needs and love for her. She was guilty and kicking herself for hurting you. She was scared that if she left you you'd go back on drugs. And somewhere in that mess, we found each other. It wasn't done out of spite or to hurt you Lucky. But of course, there are consequences to every action. Our love affair came out, you and Liz went off the deep end, and everything was falling apart."

Nikolas walked back towards him and put the drink on the table.

"We could still be together now; a big happy family, but I had to let her go."

"No one forced you to."

"Yes Lucky, I had to give her up. Now I know that sometimes doing the right thing isn't always the right thing to do. Although, I have to wonder that if Liz and I had continued, if you would have shown up here demanding that she couldn't be with me because of Helena."

Lucky leaned towards him. "Well, since you threw me under the bus and went after the woman I loved which literally drove her to a mental breakdown. And then you so nobly stepped aside when you realized your love was torturing her soul, you'll never know now will you?"

"You are the one that tortured her. You knew she didn't want you but you kept pushing. You had to have the prize. She pushed you away and tried to make excuses not to be with you. It was written all over her face. But, you saw what you wanted to see and ignored what she wanted. You didn't care what made her happy. It was all about what Lucky needed. Just face it. She was just not that into you."

A low guttural scream came out of Lucky and he charged Nikolas knocking him to the floor. He punched him once but then Nikolas quickly rolled over and got the upper hand. He punched Lucky in the face, busting his lip, and then pinned him to the ground.

"I'm warning you brother. If you hit me again, I will show no mercy. You need to take your ass back wherever you dragged it from and leave town. Those boys are finally having a normal life again. They are really happy and now you're going to come back and ruin everything with your childish selfish bullshit. It probably kills you that she isn't crying over you anymore."

Lucky yelled and bucked Nikolas off of him. He grabbed a heavy crystal decanter and lifted it above his head like he was going to smash it down on Nikolas.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Wow, you'd really stoop so low as to kill me? You think Spencer will appreciate that? I'm almost sorry I named him after your family at this point. Who the hell are you?"

Lucky started to cry and put the decanter down. He stood up and backed away from Nikolas and stumbled out.

Nikolas pulled himself up and grabbed the phone.

"Get the other launch ready for me and see to it that Lucky leaves the grounds."

He grabbed his chin and rubbed it.

Nikolas knocked on Liz's door. Milo answered and asked him to stay there while he went inside.

"Nikolas" Liz said smiling at the door. "What are you doing here?"

They hugged.

"May I come in?"

Liz opened the door.

Cam came running around the corner.

"Nikolas!"

He grinned and spun Cameron around.

"Where's Spencer?"

"He's at a riding lesson. I promise we'll have a play date soon okay?"

He put Cameron down and he ran upstairs. Liz smiled at the interaction.

"So, what's going on?"

"Lucky just visited me."

Liz stared at him. "Is that what happened to your mouth?"

She grabbed some ice and wrapped it up and put it on his mouth.

Michael walked through the door and was surprised to see them.

"Nikolas."

"Hey Michael, sorry for the intrusion but I just needed to talk to Liz."

"No problem. I can go to my office."

"No, it's okay. You can stay and hear it to."

"Okay."

They all sat down.

"Lucky came to see me and needless to say, there were some ugly words spoken and a few punches thrown."

Michael shook his head.

"He's really angry about you two being together and he's concerned about the violence."

"Unfortunately, he's determined to take the kids away from me."

"I'm sorry Liz. I know the boys and you are happy. That's all I ever wanted for you."

Michael cringed at their closeness. He knew their history and it made him feel a little insecure.

"Nikolas, it's not your fault."

"If you'll allow me, I wanted to use my connections to find out what Lucky has been up to while he was away. Who knows, maybe I could dig up something that will help you out in this custody battle."

Liz smiled. "You don't have to do that."

"No, let him. If Nikolas can help us keep what we have, I'll take all the help that he can give."

Nikolas smiled. "It's settled then. I'll get back to you when I have something to report."

He stood up.

"Thanks for coming by. We really appreciate it." Michael said.

Liz gave him a hug and watched him walk out.

"Well that was nice."

Michael shook his head.

Liz could feel that Michael seemed a little tense.

"Does seeing us together bother you?"

Michael sighed.

"I'm not going to lie. You two have a really deep connection. It does unnerve me a little bit."

Liz pulled him into her arms. "You have nothing to worry about. Nikolas did mean a lot to me, but that was over a long time ago. We'll always be friends, but since I plan to be with you for the rest of my life, that is all it will ever be. Don't you get how much I love you?"

Michael smiled. "Yes. I love you too."

"Good, then it's settled. Help me pack up the boys so I can get Cameron over to his t-ball game."

Michael kissed her and then they headed upstairs.


	26. Chapter 26 - Family Dynamics

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews. I'm not the biggest fan of Lucky's at this point either. It's going to get very interesting.**

Chapter 26 - Family Dynamics

Liz dropped the kids off and went back to the house. She had forgotten Cam's favorite hat. Michael was still in the living room.

"Hi, I thought you would have left by now."

"I was thinking about the Lucky thing."

Liz sat down next to him.

"What do you want to do about it?"

Liz sighed. "I don't know. We hired Diane. I'm not sure what else we can do."

What Michael really wanted to do was bury him somewhere in the Pinelands. But, he knew that Liz always intended for Lucky to be part of the boy's life.

"You think Lulu could talk some sense into him?"

"I don't know. I guess I could try and talk to her."

"Do what you think is right. Hopefully, Nikolas can dig something up."

Liz plopped backwards and closed her eyes. Michael stood up and took his shirt off and threw it at her.

"Hey."

"I have something else I have I need to talk to you about, over here."

She giggled as she watched him undo his belt as he walked into the dining room.

She jumped up and followed him.

"What has gotten you so frisky today?"

"You look really hot when you're pissed off."

She grinned.

"It's going to have to be a quicky. I need to get back to the boys."

Michael groaned.

"Less groaning and more action." She said pulling off her clothes.

Michael grabbed her and sat her on the table. He sensuously kissed her mouth and started touching her body. He whispered things in her ear as she moved against his hand and moaned.

Just touching her and hearing her respond was a huge turn on to him. She reached down to touch him and found that he was more than ready.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her forward as she lay back onto the table cloth.

Michael entered her slowly and then he'd slide Liz into him as he thrusted himself into her. A few things fell off the table as he pounded into her harder and harder until she screamed out his name and her walls tightened around him. He could no longer hold it and joined her as his whole body flushed and tingled.

"That was the best quicky ever." She said kissing him.

Michael lifted her onto the floor. "I love you." He said giving her another smoldering kiss.

She glanced over at the clock. "Got to go", she said running into the bathroom after scooping up her clothes.

Michael laughed as he gathered up his.

She ran past him and into the living room. "Put the tablecloth in the washer for me." She yelled out.

Michael watched her run out the house. He was so in love with her. There was no way in hell he was going to let Lucky destroy their family.

Lucky walked into the Haunted Star. He was looking for Lulu but found his dad instead.

"Well look what the cat dragged in."

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Just holding down the fort…"

Lucky walked over and gave him a hug.

"What brings you around again, Cowboy?"

"Oh, just wanted to see the kids."

Luke smirked. "Glad you remembered you had those."

"Please tell me that you of all people are not going to give me shit about that."

"Whoa, whoa, settle it down; take a deep breath."

"Sorry. I've just got nothing but grief since I got back."

"From who?"

"Elizabeth….Nikolas."

"You'd think after everything that went down, they'd be a little less judgmental."

"I know…right?"

"So what has got their knickers in a bunch?"

Lucky stared at him for a moment. "I want to get custody of the kids."

"You want to do what?" Lulu said walking in.

He turned to look at her. "Hi Lulu."

They hugged.

"Did I hear you say you are trying to take the kids away from Elizabeth?"

"Yes."

"Why? They've been doing great."

"You are aware of Michael's profession are you not?"

"Yes, I am." Lulu said giving him a dumbfounded look.

"Really Lulu? You know what Sonny's world did to Michael."

"Now wait a minute Lucky. I think you're not being very fair."

"Fair…Michael was shot in the head."

"That was more about Claudia then it was about his business."

"Oh my God, I can't believe you're defending Sonny now."

"Who are you? You're being a total drama queen."

"Look, either you're with me or against me. We're family. We're supposed to stick together."

Lulu gave him a look like he was crazy.

"You know what, I'm out of here. I don't know what your problem is but I'm not going to sit here and act like it's okay that you are trying to rip apart the only stable home those kids have had for the last two years. You seriously need to check your ego."

Lucky watched her walk out. His eyes filled up with tears.

"I don't get it. Have Michael and Helena teamed up to have you all brainwashed?"

"Really, you're putting Michael in the same sentence as Helena?"

"All I want is to have my kids be safe."

"They are safe Lucky."

Lucky shook his head in disbelief. "You too?"

"Son, if you will just be reasonable about this, you'll save yourself a lot of grief."

"I don't know why I even bothered to talk to someone like you."

Luke chuckled. "Someone like me huh? You are turning into me. You left your family. You're an addict. And don't let me get started on your ego."

Lucky was pissed. It hurt to his core that Luke had said that he was turning into him. He wiped his eyes and walked out. He didn't need any of them. He just needed his boys, he thought to himself.

Luke knew that look in Lucky's eyes. Everyone was in for some trouble.


	27. Chapter 27 – You've been Served

Chapter 27 – You've been Served

Liz opened the door the next morning. There was man holding a summons.

"Are you Elizabeth Webber?"

"Yes."

"You've been served."

She sighed. She knew what it was. She opened the envelope and there was a notice of a hearing in two days regarding custody.

She picked up the phone. "Michael?"

"Hey, what's wrong?" He could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't happy.

"I just got served."

"What!"

"Yup. Lucky has gotten a judge to review his custody case."

"When?"

"In two days."

"I'll clear my schedule."

* * *

Michael hung up the phone. God he wanted to punch Lucky until he bled.

Johnny walked into the room. "You look pissed."

"Fucking Lucky Spencer….." He growled.

"You need me to take care of him?"

Michael shook his head. "Trust me, I'd do it myself but Liz would never forgive me."

"I'll get some men to follow him. See if we can catch him in the act of doing something. Do you think he's still using?"

"Liz doesn't think so."

"God, I hope he doesn't cause those boys any damage. They do not deserve that."

Michael nodded.

Johnny and Michael talked more business, but it was hard for Michael to focus.

* * *

Lucky stood on the docks looking out at the harbor. He smiled to himself thinking that soon he'd have full custody of the boys. He had convinced himself that there was no way he was going to lose this.

Johnny left Michael's office and made a phone call.

"Hey, I want you to find Lucky Spencer and offer him some candy."

The man on the other end smiled. It had been a long time since he had seen Lucky. He used to be a good customer.

"You got it."

Lucky was about to leave when he saw the man walk up to him. He had a big lump in his throat when he realized who it was.

"Lucky, good seeing you."

Lucky swallowed hard. "I can't say the same about you."

The man laughed loudly. He took a packet out of his pocket and tried to hand it to Lucky.

"Here, this one's on the house."

Lucky stared at it. It had been a long time since he felt that running through his veins.

"No thanks."

The man came closer. "Come on, it's a welcome home gift. You know you want to."

Lucky gritted his teeth. He didn't want to screw up his custody hearing.

"I told you no." He growled.

The man backed off. "Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a bunch."

Lucky relaxed a little.

"I tell you what," he said pulling out a card, "you need anything, I'm your man. Just give me a call."

He pressed the card into Lucky's hand and then walked away.

Lucky started to put the card into his pocket and then he changed his mind and threw it into the trash. He stared at the trash can for a few minutes and finally he ripped his eyes away and walked the other way.

* * *

Liz had just gotten the boys a snack when the door bell rang.

"Lucky."

"Liz. May I come in?"

She wanted to slam the door right in his face.

She clenched her teeth and opened the door.

He walked inside. "Where are the boys?"

"Around the corner."

Cameron had heard his voice and came running around the corner and jumped into Lucky's arms.

She walked into the dining room and wiped Aiden's hands and helped him out of his chair and told him to go in the other room.

She cleaned up the dishes as she listened to them play. She stopped cleaning because she felt herself starting to cry. She couldn't believe that Lucky would try and take her children away. She stood there for a while trying to compose herself when she heard him come into the room. She spun around.

Lucky could tell she had been crying. He walked up to her. "What's wrong?"

She made a noise. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

Lucky didn't react.

"If you're done playing with the boys, then I need to ask you to leave. I can't stand looking at your face."

Lucky cringed at the hatred that was coming from her. "Just remember, you brought this on yourself."

Liz let out a guttural scream and yelled, "Get out of my house now."

Lucky flinched and turned around and left. He said goodbye to the boys as Johnny was coming through the door.

The boys ran and jumped into Johnny's arms. "Where's your mommy?"

"In the kitchen, I think she's really mad."

Johnny nodded. "Go upstairs for a minute okay."

He walked around and stopped. Liz had a knife and she was crying and stabbing a cutting board.

"Liz?"

She stopped and looked up at him. She was panting and her eyes were really red.

"Watch the kids for me." She said wiping her face with her arm. She put the knife down and walked out the kitchen door. He saw her sit on the swing set.

Johnny was pretty shocked. He called Michael. "You need to get home man. I think Liz just lost it."

"Stay there with her."

Michael grabbed his things and headed to the car.

He ran into the house. "Where is she?"

Johnny told him what happened and told him to go into the back yard.

He didn't see her out there. So, he walked to the small cottage house they had in the back. There wasn't much in there. Liz was having it redecorated. There was small couch and a chair.

"Liz." He said opening the door.

She was looking out the window.

She didn't answer him so he walked up behind her and put his arms around her. She wasn't crying anymore. She was just staring outside.

She turned around and looked at him. "I don't want to talk about it. Can we not talk about it?"

He nodded. He picked her up and he sat down on the couch. He held her in his arms and didn't say anything.

* * *

Johnny had Milo come in and watch the boys. He drove to Kristina's apartment.

Kristina had her music on and she was cleaning and dancing around the room singing. She heard the pounding on the door and turned it down.

She swung the door open and saw Johnny standing there, he looked really upset. She moved out of the way so he could some inside.

"What's wrong?"

He sat down on the couch and punched a pillow. "Lucky fucking Spencer."

Kristina didn't even know Lucky was back in town. She sat next to him. "Tell me what happened."

Johnny told her the whole story.

"I probably shouldn't have sent that drug dealer to him. But, then after seeing Elizabeth this afternoon; maybe I'm not so sorry. I'll never forget the look on her face when she looked up at me."

Kristina nodded. She pulled him into her arms. "Johnny, sometimes things just need to go their own course and it's out of our hands."

He turned to look at her and before he could stop himself, he was kissing her deeply. Kristina was so happy. She kissed him and maneuvered herself so she was straddling him. She held his face and licked and lightly sucked his lips. She deepened the kiss as she sensuously explored his mouth causing Johnny to moan.

The next thing she knew, he had pushed her off of him and she was sitting on the couch by herself.

"What just happened?" She said looking at Johnny. "Why did you stop?"

He was standing in the middle of the room. "I can't be close to you like this?"

She stood up and walked in front him. "Why? I don't understand."

"Kristina, I don't want to take advantage of you."

"How the hell are you taking advantage of me? Did I not kiss you back?"

Johnny ran his hand through his hair. "If we start this, I'm not going to be able to stop. I've wanted you for so long I ache. But, I really don't think you're ready."

She stood there stunned as she watched him walk out the door. She grabbed her keys and shoved them into her pocket and ran out after him. He was all the way to the elevator when she caught up to him and spun him around; pushing him against the wall.

"Don't you ever walk away from me like that." She growled at him.

She grabbed him and laid a kiss on him that Johnny would never forget. He grabbed her and lifted her up as he spun them around and pressed her into the wall. Kristina tightened her legs around his hips as she kissed him and then nibbled and sucked his neck.

A door came open and they froze. A guy walked by and smirked at them. "Get a room." He said before he went down the staircase.

They started laughing and he put her down. He took her hand and they went back inside her apartment.


	28. Chapter 28 – Sore Loser

**A/N – Thank you "Guest" for the review!**

Chapter 28 – Sore Loser

The next morning, Liz nervously sat in Diane's office.

"Liz, you need to relax. You know I will fight for you with everything I've got."

Liz tried to smile. "I know. I just can't believe he's doing this to me."

"Clearly, he has a chip on his shoulder. But, the law is on our side."

Liz nodded. "From your lips…."

Diane smiled and squeezed her hand, "Trust me."

* * *

Kristina woke up in Johnny's arms. She had dreamed about being with him for so long, she almost pinched herself so she knew it was a real.

His eyes opened and he looked at her with a big smile. "Good morning."

She smiled back. "Definitely a good morning…"

He kissed her and then got up to use the bathroom. Kristina couldn't remember a time where she had been as happy. Everything was finally starting to fall into place.

* * *

The next day Liz and Michael went to court. Nikolas sat behind them to show his support as Lucky avoided all eye contact with them.

The judge addressed them all.

"I'm reviewing all the documentation related to this case. There have been no previous rulings in regards to child visitation. It seems like you've had no issue with that in the past. Can someone please explain why we are here today?"

Alexis stood up. "Your honor my client Lucky Spencer is concerned about the well being of his children; given the fact that his ex wife is living with a mobster."

Diane stood up. "Objection. My client is a coffee importer."

"I'll allow the comment given that there is some proof to back up your claims Ms. Davis."

"It is well reported that Mr. Corinthos took over his father's business after he died this year. Sonny Corinthos was a known criminal."

"Objection. Sonny Corinthos never went to jail for any crimes. She has no proof that Michael is involved in any illegal activities. To insinuate as such would be malicious and constitute as slander."

"Substained. Ms. Davis, unless you have some kind of undeniable proof that Mr. Corinthos is a danger to these children, I have no choice but to recommend that the children stay with their mother, who has provided a stable home for them up until this point. It is not lost on me that Mr. Spencer has had no contact with his children for the last 2 years. I will allow supervised visits with the minor children until Mr. Spencer has proven that he can be a stable presence in their lives."

The judge banged his gavel.

"Court is adjourned."

Liz threw her arms around Michael and then hugged Diane.

Nik shook Michael's hand and they started to walk out.

As Liz passed Lucky, he said, "This is not over."

Michael glared at him. "Are you threatening us?"

Lucky smirked. "No, but it is a promise."

He cut Nikolas off and walked out of the court room.

* * *

Michael took Liz home.

She walked into the house and collapsed onto the couch.

"Feel better now?" Michael said sitting next to her.

"A little bit. I'm kind of worried about his last comment. But, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"You know, we haven't talked about setting a date yet." Michael said smiling.

Liz looked at him surprised. "Did you have something in mind?"

"I was thinking maybe July, are you busy?"

Liz grinned. "July, you're cutting it close aren't you?

Michael smiled. "I'd marry you right now if I could. Do I need to get my people on it or are you planning on handling the details?"

"I think I can handle it. Of course if the caterer tells me no, I'll let you convince him otherwise."

Michael chuckled. "Deal."

Johnny knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey boss, how did the hearing go?"

"We won." Liz said.

Johnny loved seeing a smile on her face. "That's great news. Do we need to worry about Lucky?"

"Maybe, just have someone keep an eye on him."

"Will do."

They watched as Johnny walked out the door.

"Today is a great day!" Liz said falling into his arms.

* * *

Lucky stood on the docks looking out over the water. He wiped a tear away. A man walked up behind him.

"You rang?"

"Remember that plan "B" that we spoke about?"

The man nodded.

"Make it happen; the sooner the better."

"You got it."

The man walked away and Lucky smiled and said. "Remember Liz, you brought this on yourself."

* * *

Two days later, Liz dropped the boys off at the park on a play date with some of their friends and went home.

About an hour later, she got a frantic call from one of the boy's moms.

"Liz, it's Frankie's mom."

"Hi, is everything okay?"

"No. These men showed up with guns and…..I tried to protect them but they pushed me down and took your boys."

Liz took a gulp. It was her biggest nightmare.

"Liz….are you there?"

"I'm…I'm here. Did you call the police?"

"Yes, they are here."

"I'll be right there."

Liz got up off the couch like a zombie. She grabbed her purse and keys and opened the door. Johnny was coming in the house and ran right into her.

"Sorry…..Liz…..what is it?"

He saw the look on her face and she just started crying. He helped her back inside and sat on the couch beside her.

"Liz, you're scaring me, tell me what's wrong."

"The boys….someone took them….at the park." She said gasping for air.

He whipped out his phone and called Michael and told him to meet them at the park. He called Milo to tell him to bring the car around. And then he called a few of his other men to try to find out what happened.

"Come on, he said standing her up. I'll take you."

He got her into the car and Milo drove to the park as fast as he could.

* * *

When they got there, Michael pulled up as they were getting out. He ran towards them and pulled Liz into his arms.

"Why did this happen? I don't understand?"

"I don't know."

"So you think it was business related?"

Michael pulled her away from him so he could look into her eyes. "I swear to you that everything has been calm. There have been no threats….nothing. This makes no sense. I don't think it has anything to do with me."

She nodded. She wanted to believe him so badly.

She had brought a picture of the boys and gave it to the officers. She hugged Frankie's mom and thanked her for doing the best she could.

Mostly everyone had gone when Lucky drove up.

"Shit." Michael said.

Liz looked up. She saw Lucky and it was the last thing she needed.

"What happened?" Lucky said walking up to her.

Michael explained what happened and Lucky went off.

"I told you this would happen. I told you he was a danger. Hell, he probably paid the judge off. If anything happens to them, I swear I'll…."

Liz pushed him back. "You'll do what?" She growled.

Lucky was stunned that she had touched him.

Liz walked towards him again and shoved him a second time.

"What are you going to do Lucky? I'm so sick of your shit. This is not the time or place for you to get up on your fucking soapbox like your shit don't stink. I have had it with you…..had it….." She screamed.

Michael pulled Liz back. "Come on baby."

Lucky stood there and watched them walk away. "See you in court." He yelled out.

Johnny spun around and walked back to Lucky.

"Listen you little prick, you better shut your mouth right now, or I'm going to shut it permanently. Do I make myself clear?"

Lucky stared at him.

"Answer me." Johnny yelled.

Lucky gulped and said. "Yes."

Johnny turned around and left him standing there.

Lucky watched them drive away and turned around and smiled. He had them right where he wanted them.


	29. Chapter 29 – Heartache

**A/N – Thanks as always for the reviews. **

Chapter 29 – Heartache

Liz was devastated. Michael didn't know what to do. There was no consoling her.

"Mom, I need you." He said desperately.

"I'll be right there."

Carly had heard what happened and rushed over to the house.

* * *

She walked inside and saw Michael sitting on the couch.

"Where is she?"

He pointed upstairs.

Carly could see the look on Michael's face. He was terrified.

"Michael, Liz needs you to have faith okay. We'll get them back. You have people looking all over them."

Michael nodded. Carly gave him a big hug.

"I'm going upstairs."

"Mom…"

"You don't need to say another word. I remember what it was like when you were missing. I would never say anything to hurt her right now; trust me."

"Okay."

Carly kissed him on the forehead and then walked upstairs. She opened the door to the master bedroom. Liz's back was to the door but Carly could hear her crying. She sat on the bed behind her and rubbed her back.

"Liz."

Liz jerked her head around. "Carly?" She said choking back tears.

Carly heart was torn just looking at her. "I heard what happened and I just wanted you to know that if you need me I'm here. When Michael and Morgan were kidnapped, I thought my world was going to end. It's the worst kind of hurt…" She said trying not to cry. "Just know that I know what you're going through. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Liz nodded. She couldn't believe that Carly was being this nice. "Thank you."

"Have you eaten?"

Liz shook her head and sat up. Carly handed her a tissue. "No, I'm not hungry."

"I know you probably aren't but you have to keep up your strength. You are going to need it. If I make you some soup, will you try to eat it?"

Liz gave an attempt at a smile and shook her head yes.

Carly rubbed her back and wiped away her own tears. "Okay, meet me downstairs."

Liz nodded.

* * *

Carly went downstairs and walked past Michael to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Michael said walking behind her.

"I convinced her that she needed to eat something. She's coming down."

"Thank you."

Carly rummaged around in the pantry.

"Mom, you can't cook. Let me do it."

"Michael, it's freaking soup. You open the can and pour it into a pot. How hard can it be?"

Liz stood listening to them go back and forth. It was actually nice.

"Didn't you burn water once?"

Liz giggled through her tears.

"Really? Do you always have to bring that up? I was distracted. Now make yourself useful and find the can opener."

Michael smirked and grabbed the can.

"Read me the directions."

Michael read the directions.

Carly put a pot on the stove.

"You need help turning it on?"

"Do you want a time out?" She said waving a wooden spoon. "Your little sister doesn't even give me this much lip."

Michael backed up with his hands up. He noticed Liz was standing there.

"Hey." He said walking towards her.

"Don't stop on my account." Liz said smiling.

Carly flashed her a smile. "You need to tell your future husband that he needs to give his mother some credit. I can do more than order pizza."

Liz smiled.

Michael looked over at her. "I hope she has the number memorized, you might need it."

Carly threw a dish towel at him. "Don't distract me. I'm cooking."

The telephone rang. Liz jumped at the intrusion.

Michael jumped up and picked it up.

"Hello."

Liz watched his face closely until he hung up.

"What happened?"

"It was Johnny. He might have a lead."

Liz sighed. "Thank God."

Carly put the soup in front of her. "Eat up."

Liz tasted the soup. "Good."

Carly smiled. "See…" She said turning towards Michael.

"You can spit it out if you want." Michael whispered.

Carly chased him around the kitchen with a spoon as Liz smiled. She wiped away a tear thinking about how devastating it would be if she didn't have the chance to be there for her sons when they were Michael's age.

She finished eating and Carly left.

"That was really nice of your mom."

Michael smiled. "She doesn't always show people that side of her. And you may never see it again. Maybe I should have taped it."

Liz hugged him. "Thank you for trying to make me feel a little better. It helped."

"Good."

He led her back upstairs and tucked her into the bed.

* * *

The next morning, Liz woke up to a familiar sound.

"Mommy….Mommy."

She opened her eyes and tried to focus. She thought she was dreaming. She felt Michael sit up beside her.

"Oh my God"!

Liz jumped out of bed and pulled them into her arms. "My babies" She said crying.

Johnny stood in the doorway smiling.

Michael got up and pulled him out of the room.

"What happened?"

"Someone left them at the park."

"What? That's crazy."

"I know. It just smells. I'm going to find out what really happened if it is the last thing I do." Johnny said looking at the kids through the doorway.

"I right there with you."

"You need to have a talk with Liz."

"I will. I just didn't want to confront her while the kids were gone."

Michael was dreading it but he knew he had to.

After Liz checked them out to make sure they looked okay, she took the kids downstairs and made them a sandwich.

"Should we take them to the hospital?"

"I already have a doctor on the way."

She smiled. She didn't want to let them out of her sight.

Michael pulled her into the dining room where they could still see them.

"We really need to talk."

Liz knew it was coming. It was part of the reason she had lost it so badly.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't think."

Michael held her. "You can't go anywhere without a guard. It's just too dangerous."

She pulled back from him. "I just forgot. We were late and I just ran out and hopped into the car….."

Michael tried to reassure her. "It's not your fault. And trust me, I will find who's responsible and they will be dealt with. Right now, I just need you to promise me that you'll make sure a guard is with you and the boys every time you leave the house."

Liz glanced over at them and sat down. This whole incident had devastated her. The whole danger thing just never really sunk in until they were taken. She was freaking out inside because she couldn't imagine having to go through this again. She just started crying.

Michael held her. "Just let it out baby."

Just thinking about the pain she must feel was breaking his heart.

She finally calmed down as the boys ran past her. They had just run up the stairs to their playroom when there was a knock on the door. It was Patrick.

Michael let him in and took him upstairs to the playroom and stayed there until he was done.

They walked downstairs. He checked them out and the boys were fine.

"How's Liz?" Patrick asked.

"This has been pretty rough on her. She's just trying to hold it together."

Patrick nodded. "Let her know I'm thinking about her."

"Will do." Michael said walking him out.

He went back to the dining room and sat next to her.

"You okay."

She shook her head no. "I'm so sorry."

He held her tightly. "It's going to be okay."

Underneath it all, Michael was having murderous thoughts.


	30. Chapter 30 – Lost & Found

Chapter 30 – Lost & Found

Michael took Liz upstairs. He had just come out of the bedroom when he saw Johnny coming towards him. The kids were in the playroom with Milo.

"What's wrong?"

"Lucky is here."

"Son of a bitch." Michael said going down the stairs.

Johnny followed him.

"Where's Liz?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I want to talk to her about our kids."

"She's resting."

Lucky rolled her eyes. "Wake her."

It was all Michael could do to not beat the shit out of Lucky.

"She doesn't need your shit right now. If you have something to say, then spit it out and get the fuck out of my house."

Lucky grimaced. He handed Michael an envelope. "Enjoy your last night."

Michael slammed the door behind him. He ripped open the envelope.

"Damn."

"What is it?" Johnny asked.

"Emergency hearing tomorrow. He's going to try and use this to get custody."

Johnny gritted his teeth. "Over my dead body….."

* * *

About 7:00 am, Michael got a call from Johnny.

"I might have someone who can shed some light on all of this. I'm going to take care of it. What time is the hearing?"

"8:30"

"That doesn't leave me much time…."

"Do you what you have to."

Michael hung up the phone and said a prayer.

* * *

They all sat down in court after the judge entered.

"Does anyone want to tell me why we are back here already?"

Alexis stood up. "Your honor, due to some unfortunate events in the last 24 hours, I can clearly establish that Michael Corinthos is indeed a danger to his children. My client asks that they be removed from their mother's home and transferred into his care."

The judge looked down at some paperwork. "Ms. Miller, do you have anything to say?"

"Your honor, there are no suspects and no proof that it had anything to do with Mr. Corinthos. This action is frivolous and a waste of all of our time."

The judge looked between both women. "I'm going back to chambers to review the paperwork. Court adjourned."

Liz sat in her seat trembling. She was scared to death.

* * *

Johnny looked at the man sitting in front of him. He had already brutally assaulted him but the man wouldn't budge.

Johnny looked over at Micah and then back at the man.

"Go get his wife."

The man's head jerked up. "You'd fucking stoop that low?"

"I'm not the one who kidnapped two kids."

The man looked away.

"You got 2 seconds to start spilling your guts."

The man said nothing.

John got really close to him. "I'm going to enjoy slicing your wife up right in front of your eyes. Micah, go get her." Johnny snarled.

The man flinched. "Wait, she's pregnant."

Micah stopped and looked at Johnny. Johnny grabbed the tape recorder from behind him and pressed record.

"You gonna tell me what I need to know?"

The man swallowed hard. "It was Lucky Spencer. He was the one ordered the hit. We didn't hurt them. I treated them they were my own. He just wanted us to take them for a bit so he could get his kids back."

Johnny stopped the tape recorder.

He tried to call Michael, but there was no answer. So, he ran out of the place and jumped in his car.

* * *

Everyone in the courtroom were on pins and needles.

"Alright, after reviewing the police reports, and reviewing new evidence that has come to light….

"Excuse me your honor, but what evidence would that be?"

"A package was intercepted at the Corinthos house by the police this morning. The carrier got worried and called the station because he thought there was blood on it. Inside, there was a picture of the 2 boys with slashes through them and a note that said, "Next time, they won't come back."

Liz gasped. Michael put his head down to control his rage.

"Your honor, anyone could have fabricated that evidence."

"Ms. Miller, until further research can be done to determine the validity of the threat, I have no choice but to look after the best interest of the child. Therefore, I'm giving Lucky Spencer temporary full custody of the said minors. Ms. Webber can have supervised visits at a neutral meeting place. We'll reconvene next week."

The judge started to pound his gavel down when Liz stood up gasping. She turned to look at the door to run out to the boys, but everything started spinning and she lost consciousness. Michael caught her before she hit the floor and everyone came running; including the judge.

"Get an EMT in here." The judge yelled.

They tried everything but Liz wouldn't wake up.

Lucky stood out of the way. He could care less that Liz was broken. He just wanted the boys. He started to head out when Johnny burst through the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Johnny sneered at him.

The judge stood up. "Young man, we are still in session."

"Good Johnny said pushing play on the recorder."

Everyone listened intently.

The judge looked at both attorneys. "In my chambers, now." He looked at one of the court officers. "No one leaves this room."

Alexis and Diane hurried behind the judge.

Johnny looked over and saw Liz on the floor. "What happened Michael?"

Michael looked over at Lucky. "That asshole got temporary custody and Liz fainted."

The EMT's were giving her oxygen. They finally used something else to wake her when she didn't respond.

Liz's eyes fluttered opened. "Michael…." She said weakly.

"It's okay baby, Johnny got proof it was a setup."

Liz tried to shake off the dizziness. They got her up and sat her in a chair.

"You okay?" Michael said softly.

Liz nodded. "I'm fine." She looked over at Johnny. "Thank you."

Johnny smiled at her. "Anytime…."

"Help me stand up."

Michael helped her stand. She was a little wobbly at first but she walked over to Lucky.

"I would go to hell for what I'd like to do to you right now."

Lucky stared at her coldly. "Save it."

They both didn't notice that the judge had come out of the room.

"I did what I had to do to get my kids back." He said stepping towards Liz.

Johnny put his hand on Lucky's shoulder, "Not another step….."

Lucky ignored him. "You destroyed our family. You were the one that is responsible for Jake being killed because you weren't watching. You ripped us apart because of Nikolas. Then you stalked me when I wanted nothing to do with you and made me feel like I couldn't stay in Port Charles. Now, you take up with a kid who's a mobster? All of this, Elizabeth, is your fault. All your waffling and stupid choices….."

"Shut up…..shut up you fucking addict. I can't take it anymore." Liz yelled and sobbed. "I hate you Lucky Spencer more than I have ever hated anyone in my entire life. You can go to hell with your sanctimonious bullshit. I can't wait until some big huge guy makes you his bitch in jail. And one more thing….."

Liz punched Lucky so hard in the face he stumbled backwards.

He was so mad he rushed her and Johnny had to grab him and pinned him down.

"You must have a death wish." Johnny growled.

Michael dragged a sobbing Liz back to her chair. The judge had a court officer bring Lucky to the front.

"After reviewing the evidence and after hearing that conversation, permanent full custody will go to Elizabeth Webber."

"No…you can't do that." Lucky yelled.

The doors opened and some officers walked though.

"Lucky Spencer, you are under arrest for 2 counts of kidnapping, filing fraudulent paperwork, and 2 counts of endangering a minor. You have the right …".

Michael listened to the court officer drone on as Liz collapsed again in his arms. An EMT ran out of the courtroom to get a gurney. They stabilized her and transported her to the hospital.

Johnny grabbed Michael and headed for the car.

"Can you stop by the house really quick so I can check on the boys?"

Johnny nodded.

"You okay."

"Not even close."

* * *

Carly was watching the boys. She saw the look on Michael's face when he came into the door and immediately thought they lost them.

"What happened?"

He told her everything before running upstairs to kiss the boys. He knew it would make Liz feel better if he had checked on them.

"Will you stay here for a while longer?" Michael asked as he walked down the stairs.

"Of course I will."

She hugged and kissed him.

Michael and Johnny rushed to the hospital.

* * *

When they got there, Epiphany to Michael to the exam room. Patrick was in the room with her.

"Michael."

They shook hands.

"Liz is just really dehydrated; dangerously so. I ran some blood tests as well. Her blood pleasure is too low and we're just trying to stabilize all her numbers."

Michael nodded. "Has she been awake?"

"Not yet. Why don't you talk to her?"

Michael sat next to the bed and grabbed Liz's hand.

"Liz, it's Michael. I need you to wake up and look at me baby. We won. Everything is fine." He stood up and put his phone next to ear, it was the boys saying, "Hi mommy. Come home."

He played it a few times and finally Liz stirred. "Cameron?"

"No, it's Michael."

Liz was confused. "But, I just heard…."

Michael waved his phone and smiled. "I ran home first and recorded it."

She smiled weakly. "What's wrong with me?"

Patrick stepped towards her. "You're really dehydrated for one and we need to get your blood pressure stabilized."

He checked a few more things. "I need you to stay calm."

Liz nodded.

"Did we really win?"

Michael smiled. "Yes, we did."

"I can't believe Lucky did this. I'm mortified." Liz said crying.

"I need you to stay calm. We can talk about him later. The boys are safe. I still love you with all of my heart…."

She smiled. "Thank you."

They stayed at the hospital until Patrick was satisfied with her numbers and then went home.


	31. Chapter 31 - Bliss

Chapter 31 - Bliss

Michael and Johnny took Liz home. It had been a crazy day. His mom had already put the boys down. Michael tucked Liz in and went back downstairs.

"How are you hanging in there?" Carly asked?

"I feel like I lost 10 years off of my life the last few days."

Carly chuckled. "Welcome to parenthood."

Michael smirked.

"Thank God Lucky is in jail. Let's just hope he doesn't get bail."

Michael looked up at her. He hadn't even thought about that.

"Should I call and see if there is a bail hearing?"

Carly nodded.

Michael got on the phone and called Diane. "Diane, I need to know if there is a bail hearing set for Lucky?"

"Not right now. If I hear of anything, you will be the first person I call."

"Thanks Diane."

Michael hung up the phone and smiled. "All good."

Carly smiled. She left and Michael went back upstairs.

* * *

The next day their lives went back to normal. Everything was going smoothly and Michael started planning a huge surprise for Liz.

* * *

A month later, Michael whisked Liz off to the island. They got there in the afternoon and Michael had laid out a really pretty dress for Liz to wear.

"Why don't you slip that on and then I have a surprise for you."

She smiled. "Sounds wonderful."

Michael left her alone in the room and went to change into black pants (which I rolled up) and a white button down shirt. He slipped the ring box into his pocket and went back to her.

"You look beautiful." He said grinning.

She kissed him. "You look very handsome. Now what is this surprise?"

He led her outside to the beach. They went around the corner and all their friends were standing by a gazebo. The boys were holding Carly and AJ's hands. Kristina and Johnny were there, Nikolas and Spencer, and to her surprise, Epiphany and Kelly.

Tears were running down Liz's face.

"Are you okay?"

"More than okay. I can't believe you did this."

They walked up to the officiant and he began uniting them. When it was time for Michael to say his vows, he lovingly touched Liz's face with his hand.

"I never thought that I'd meet anyone like you. You are my sunrise and sunset. You taught me how to love and be the man that I am. I love you more than my own life. I love our kids. You complete me in every way possible. I will love and cherish you until my last breath."

They were both crying. He put the band on her finger.

Liz got herself together, "Michael, you came into my life and became my compass. You taught me how to have fun and love again. You mean everything to me. I've never been as happy as I am with you. Every time you kiss me, you take my breath away. I promise to love and be there for you for the rest of our lives."

The officiant finished and said, "You can now kiss your bride."

Michael and Liz stared at each other for a moment and then Michael kissed her. He tried to be mindful of the guests who were cheering but he did deepen it a little bit.

They came up for air as the boys jumped around them. They all went to dinner and celebrated their beautiful love.

* * *

Michael led Liz back to their bedroom.

"I've been waiting for this all night."

Liz smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Michael paused before kissing her. "I know we talked about this much later down the line."

"What?"

"I want to make a baby with you." He said swooping down on her lips.

Liz felt the passion in his kiss as they both kissed each other with abandon.

He unzipped her dress and she let it fall to the floor.

He pulled her into him and captured her swollen lips with his mouth.

"You taste so good." He said breathlessly.

Liz unbuttoned his shirt and undid his pants as they still ravished each other's mouths.

He grabbed her and put her on the bed as he removed the last of her clothing. He kissed up her legs and then teased her clit with his tongue. Liz moaned as Michael relentlessly found her pleasure spots and tantalized all of her senses. He kissed his way back up to her and took her mouth again. "You're so hot." He whispered into her ear as he nibbled it and then sucked on her neck. Michael rubbed himself over her opening. "God you're so wet." He said plunging into her as she rose to meet his every stroke. Michael relentlessly pumped into her until they both found their release.

He collapsed onto her and then rolled so she was partially lying on top of him.

"I love you Mrs. Corinthos."

Liz grinned. "I love you to my husband."

"Give me five minutes and I'll rock your world again."

Liz giggled. "Deal."

* * *

It took about a month for Liz to get pregnant. Michael was over the moon to eventually find out that it was a girl. They named her Lila Rose.

The End

**A/N – Thanks for all those who liked the story. I hope you enjoyed it! And thanks to all who reviewed.**


End file.
